Ductwork Fire Proves To Be Challenging For Crews At Bruce Mansfield Plant
Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter
SHIPPINGPORT, Pa. (KDKA/AP) --- Firefighters were called to the scene of a ductwork and roof fire at FirstEnergy's Bruce Mansfield Plant in Shippingport, Beaver County, early Wednesday morning.
According to a spokeswoman with First Energy Corporation, the fire started around 4:20 a.m.
Flashing red lights illuminated the night sky, as several fire trucks headed to the scene, many of them tanker trucks from rural Beaver County fire departments.
"They called in tankers for water to assist with the water at the plant," said Eric Brewer, the director of Beaver County Emergency Services. "They said it was pretty big. We got several calls for it in emergency services."
There were no reports of any injuries, nor any environmental or safety concerns. Emergency officials say the fire was in a scrubber building at the Bruce Mansfield coal plant.
"It's in the duct work and throughout the roof, and they're having trouble getting to that duct area," added Brewer.
Many of the firefighters remained at the scene for several hours.
"It's very physical work," said Brewer. "They're up several stories working, dragging hose for a while."
It's not known how the fire will impact the operations at the plant for the day.
The Bruce Mansfield Plant is FirstEnergy's largest coal-fired power plant in western Pennsylvania.
Two workers died and four others were injured when toxic gas was released during a pipe repair in August.
(TM and © Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
