Crews implode rest of former Elrama power plant
ELRAMA, Pa. (KDKA) — The former Elrama power plant has been reduced to rubble after planned implosions Friday.
The plant stood for more than seven decades before coming down with a bang. Around 9:30 a.m., the high explosives placed around the massive abandoned building were fired off. Hundreds of spectators watched the whole thing happen.
About 30% of it was still standing though, and officials scheduled a second implosion for the evening. The second implosion shortly before 6:30 p.m. left parts behind, but officials said that will be taken down with machinery.
Residents made it an event to witness pounds of explosives knock down the structure and create a massive cloud of dust. Brian Butler was one of them.
"That aftershock there, that sonic boom, that was something," Butler said after the second blast.
Kayden McPherson, 10, watched the second blast with his mother, Kaylee,
"It was like 'boom!'" the 10-year-old said. "It freaked me out a little bit."
"It kind of scared the life out of me at first," Kaylee said.
While Butler said the plant remained an eyesore, it's also a fixture off Route 837. Built in the 1950s along the Monongahela River by Duquesne Light, the plant now owned by Gen-On Energy was decommissioned in 2012.
"Seeing the plant gone, it's different. It's going to be a new scenery for all of us," Kaylee said.
Here Comes The BOOM! #SkyEye2 over the old Elrama Power Plant in Washington County as crews imploded the remaining wall tonight. The full implosion was supposed to happen this morning but only part of the old plant fell. Crews now will begin clearing what remains. @KDKA pic.twitter.com/O0jJbUHVcl
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) May 12, 2023
Before the first blast, a homeowner who lives close by said she was a little nervous but ready for it.
"I'm worried about the dust, I'm worried about the blast, I'm worried about my house," said Lori Shoemaker.
"I took everything off my porch, I took all my lawn ornaments away. Everything is in my garage, everything off my walls," she added.
The large smokestack is set to come down in the fall.