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Aug. 4—A fire that heavily damaged a South Heidelberg Township factory and injured two workers started accidentally, officials said Thursday.
The fire started shortly after 1:30 p.m. Wednesday following an explosion at Reading Alloys Inc., 220 Old West Penn Ave.
The explosion was caused by chemicals that react with water, but crews arrived quickly and had the fire under control by 5:30 p.m., emergency responders said,
An investigation by a state police fire marshal was still underway Thursday but it's already clear that the cause of the fire was not suspicious, said Township Police Chief Leon J. Grim.
The investigation is now centered on exactly how and where the fire started, and surveillance video should help confirm worker and responder accounts, he said.
One worker suffered an arm injury from the initial explosion, and another suffered smoke inhalation, but neither man needed to be taken to the hospital from the scene, he said.
Nearly two hours after the initial call, smoke was still billowing from the factory, but Grim said the public was never in danger.
About 100 firefighters responded, including some from Lebanon and Lancaster counties, and four or five needed to be treated at the scene for heat exhaustion due to outside temperatures of about 95 degrees, said Jared Renshaw, commissioner of the Western Berks Fire Department.
Grim credited the firefighters for their handling of a technically difficult fire in which they had to use suppressants since the materials involved can be volatile when they come in contact with water.
"They did an amazing job keeping it under control and keeping everyone informed," he said.
Firefighters used water sparingly and under advisement by factory employees and remained on scene until about 7 p.m., Renshaw said.
It helped that the fire department has visited the plant numerous times to develop a firefighting plan, which it updates each year, he said.
The plant will be shut down for a while due to the damage, which included a wall being blown out, Grim said.
