Elrama fire chief says they weren't notified about plant implosion
ELRAMA, Pa. (KDKA) - Washington County officials said they weren't notified of an implosion at a plant on Tuesday.
The entrance of the plant is significant and possibly why the right people weren't made aware of what was happening. The entrance to the plant is in Jefferson Hills, which is Allegheny County, but the bulk of the plant is in Elrama, which is Washington County.
Elrama Fire Chief Lenny Bailey says no first responders in Washington County were notified, and added in a situation like this, they need to be so they can be prepared and on scene.
He says that didn't happen Tuesday which scares him, especially when explosives are involved.
"It could be a catastrophe, you know," Bailey said.
The plant has been closed for years and has gone through multiple sales and different ownerships.
Bailey says he spoke with a representative from the company doing the demo at the site. He apologized and said they dropped the ball in notifying the proper channels. Bailey is just hoping they'll be notified in the future.
However, in speaking with B&B Wrecking & Excavating, they said that the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was on site for the demolition, as required by law.
They also said that they did acquire permits for the demolition from both Allegheny and Washington counties.
