Explosion and Fire at Chemical Plant
Saegertown – Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection has said there is currently no threat to the air or water supply in Crawford County after a fire and explosion at Parker-Lord outside of Saegetown on Sunday morning. At around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, an automatic fire alarm summoned firefighters to Parker-Lord Corporation in Saegertown, an explosion happened close to 11 a.m. and injured several firefighters and staff at the factory. Residents of Saegertown were told to temporarily shelter in place after the explosion until about 1 p.m. when the alert was rescinded. According to Saegertown Borough Manager Chuck Lawrence, the fire was extinguished around 2:30 p.m., but fire departments stayed into the night dowsing hot spots to avoid rekindling.
Seven staff members of Parker Lord and six firefighters from Saegertown and Edinboro were injured during the course of the fire but it has been reported that there were no severe injuries. All six firefighters who were treated in hospitals were released by Sunday evening but no information was made available about the employees who were also injured.
On Monday morning, Lawrence announced that tests by the DEP determined that no harmful chemicals were in the air or water; he assured that environmental agencies will continue to watch closely while they work to identify the chemicals involved in the fire. Runoff water from fighting the fire was contained in an on-site retention pond and will be removed by qualified contractors.
CEC’s Good Neighbor Scholarship
Parker/Slippery Rock – Central Electric Cooperative is accepting applications for its 2025 Good Neighbor Scholarship Program. The Good Neighbor Scholarship provides up to $2,500 for members of Central Electric or their children to attend collegiate and university courses. To apply, you must live in a home serviced by CEC with an account in good standing and be enrolled in a post-secondary school. Applicants will be scored on a 500-word essay, recommendation letter, leadership activities, and volunteerism. The category with the most weight is volunteerism. For more information visit Central.coop or call (1-800)521-0570 and ask for Isabelle Cellucci. Applications are due by March 14th.