Leetsdale Industrial Park blaze spotlights danger of single escape route
Residents along Washington Street have worried about how they would get out of their Leetsdale neighborhood if there were an emergency at the Leetsdale Industrial Park since one of only two escape routes closed two years ago.
Their worst fears were nearly realized Tuesday when emergency teams ordered people from their homes and businesses because of a massive fire and a large smoke plume full of dangerous chemicals. The fire didn't block the only route out, but residents had to drive into the smoke and toward the fire to escape.
Two years ago, the Leet Street Bridge across Route 65 was closed to vehicular traffic, leaving one way in and out of the neighborhood. Residents have to drive along Brickworks Drive and out through the industrial park to an overpass across the highway.
“Thank God that the overpass was available for people to evacuate and use,” said Lauren Jones, a Washington Street resident who circulated a petition in January asking for a secondary access point into the neighborhood. The petition was sent to the borough council.
Leetsdale firefighters were still putting out hot spots Wednesday at Lubrizol Corp., an oilfield chemicals business, Chief Ernest Logan said.
The building caught fire late Tuesday morning after an explosion and flames quickly spread to another building. It took hundreds of firefighters several hours to get the blaze under control. The park and nearby neighborhood were evacuated, as was K&K Gourmet Meats.
The evacuation caused several delays of shipments, said Emily Costo, the company's shipping and receiving manager. But she said she had bigger worries than missed deadlines.
“My main concern, and I think it's the same for most people, is that the bridge was closed,” she said. “That has to be wrong. I'm hoping that maybe in light of (Tuesday's) events that that will be revisited.”
The single entrance in and out of the business complex did not impede firefighters when they responded to the fire, Logan said, nor did it affect the ability of emergency workers to evacuate homes on Washington Street.
“My preference is that there is a second means of egress or escape,” Logan said. “Two is always better than one. But it's beyond our control, and it's beyond our financial capability to do anything with it.”
Even if the bridge were still open, it hasn't been strong enough to carry fire trucks in many years, Logan said.
The Leet Street Bridge, which is more than 100 years old, was closed to traffic in 2013 after it was deemed structurally unsafe. PennDOT and Norfolk Southern Railroad each own parts of it and plan to demolish the structure. In 2007, a Ferry Street road crossing over railroad tracks was closed when the Michele Maruca Memorial Overpass was opened between Broad Street and Brickworks Drive.
Leetsdale Councilman Joe McGurk said he and other council members have been working to secure a commitment for an emergency access point since the bridge closed.
“They're still actively looking for funding,” said Jones, who was elected to council this month. “That's a big piece of it.”
Representatives for PennDOT could not be reached for comment. Dave Pidgeon, a spokesman for Norfolk Southern, said the company plans to take down its portion of the bridge in 2016 because there “are very serious concerns about the structural integrity.”
“We would prefer to see it be replaced,” McGurk said.
A new bridge could cost $3 million to $4 million, he said.
“And we can't do it on our own,” McGurk said. “I think (Tuesday's fire) stirs the pot. This might be the impetus to get our state representatives to help us.”
Darryl McClung praised rescuers for how quickly they were able to evacuate the neighborhood despite the limited access.
He walks across the Leet Street Bridge every day on his way to work at Hussey Copper and used it when he and his co-workers were ordered to leave during the fire.
“Police and firefighters did a good job to evacuate residents across the bridge, but without the good timing, it could have been a lot worse due to the bridge being closed to traffic,” he said.
Once the fire marshal completes the investigation of the cause of the blaze, at least one of the buildings will be demolished, Logan said. It could be several days before the investigation report is available.
Allegheny County Health Department officials said Wednesday there was little residual chemical hazard from the smoke, which contained ammonium persulfate and sodium chlorite. Both could cause respiratory issues.
In a statement, health department Director Karen Hacker said her office hadn't received complaints from residents about breathing problems.
“We will continue to monitor the situation, and the investigation on the ground will proceed once it is safe to examine building contents and any other chemical storage,” she said.
Elizabeth Behrman and Bobby Cherry are staff writers for Trib Total Media.
