Leaking glass is to blame for a two-alarm response by Cumberland County fire crews during an early morning situation in South Middleton Township, Cumberland County. According to PPG Plant Manager Tom Abbas, one of the two furnaces on site began leaking glass. A combination of PPG employees, along with firefighters in the area, sprayed water on the glass to contain the leak. At no point was there a fire.
The incident began around 3:45 a.m. when firefighters from around South Middleton Township were called in to help with a potential fire. Fire crews responded to the call and began helping the PPG employees on scene, trying to cap off the leaking glass. Extra fire units were brought in for standby, in case one of the furnaces caught on fire. That situation never unfolded.
According to Abbas, there were about 100 employees inside the building at the time of the leak. There were no evacuations, in fact, the employees helped to control the leak. The company believes there were no environmental hazards and production will not be lost.
There are several steam valves that are outside of the plant that continued to operate that gave the illusion of fire conditions.
According to PPG’s website, they are an industrial company that is headquartered in Pittsburgh but has plants and offices worldwide. This Carlisle plant was picked about three years ago to make glass for the new World Trade Center Building in New York.