??On Tuesday, October 7th at approximately 8:08 AM, the Upper Providence Township Department of Fire and Emergency Services (C Platoon) was dispatched to a tractor-trailer fire at mile marker 184.1 on westbound Route 422 near the Route 29 interchange.
On Tuesday, October 7th at approximately 8:08 AM, the Upper Providence Township Department of Fire and Emergency Services (C Platoon) was dispatched to a tractor-trailer fire at mile marker 184.1 on westbound Route 422 near the Route 29 interchange.
Upon arrival, crews found a tractor-trailer with smoke coming from the trailer. It was determined that the trailer contained recycled electronic materials, including Lithium-ion batteries.
Westbound Route 422 traffic was diverted onto southbound Route 29. The on-ramp to westbound Route 422 from Route 29 (S Collegeville Rd) was also closed.
Businesses at the Providence Town Center located immediately downwind of the incident were advised to shelter in place as a precaution to ensure the safety of employees and customers. Motorists passing through the area were advised to proceed carefully and roll up vehicle windows until the smoke cleared.
The Montgomery County Tanker Task Force was activated to bring water to the incident site.
Eventually, hose line was run from hydrants at the Providence Town Center down an embankment to fire engines on Route 422.
The fire was under control at 11:10am and fire crews remained on scene to monitor the cleanup overnight. Route 422 westbound was partially opened by 3:35pm and fully reopened by 7:56pm.
It takes a lot of resources, training, and people to deal with an incident like this.
Thanks to our many mutual aid partners who assisted with closing down roads, redirecting traffic, fire suppression, air quality monitoring and addressing the incident. There were over 25 fire companies involved and over 100,000 gallons of water flowed - thanks also to the UPT Police Department, PA State Police, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County Department of Public Safety and the Montgomery County Hazardous Materials Team.
Additional Station 68 Firefighters were brought in to cover the township with Engine 68-6 while C Platoon was on-site until around 7pm.