Four people were taken to the hospital in Washington County following a reported explosion Thursday afternoon at a metal fabricating plant.
A hazardous materials team was called to the Langeloth Metallurgical Co. facility in Smith Township, according to TribLive news partner WTAE.
The incident was reported at about 6:15 p.m.
“Apparently, they were transferring some kind of chemical from a tanker to a stationary tank, and something went wrong and something exploded,” Smith Township Fire Chief Brandon Kriznik told WTAE.
Smith Township said there is “no immediate risk to the public” in a brief social media post acknowledging the blast.
Washington County officials issued a since-lifted shelter-in-place notice reportedly because of concerns about a potential release of hydrogen peroxide into the air.
Washington County Emergency Management has notified the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the state Department of Environmental Protection, which emergency management officials said is standard procedure in a chemical incident.
The plant, which has operated for several decades, was purchased by Canadian mining firm Centerra Gold in 2016.
It primarily produces molybdenum products, which are commonly used in alloys for specialty steel goods or for chemical purposes.
