Springdale smokestacks come down, cause damage to homes and property
SPRINGDALE, Pa. (KDKA) — Two smokestacks came crumbling down on Friday in Springdale, but it didn't quite go as officials planned.
Around 8 a.m., the two landmarks in Springdale crashed down.
"We were standing here and the little one went that way, which from what I'm hearing was right," Shawn Moore said.
Then the 750-foot smokestack came crashing down. It fell in the direction of Moore and his son.
"We didn't know how far it was going to come up the hill, so we took off running and after that a big cloud of dirt," Moore said.
That cloud of dirt raced up Washington Street and went a couple of houses past Moore's home.
Once the dust cleared, the damage was evident to his home and several others. Broken windows, fences, dust and insulation littered the neighborhood. A house across the street took the damage head-on, with debris even making its way inside.
"It's a mess. It looks like a warzone," Marti Blake said.
Blake has lived across the street from the smokestacks since 1990. She's glad to see them gone, but it came at a price.
"It's a mess. Glass all over the floor," Blake said.
According to West Penn Power, about 1,700 customers lost power after the smokestacks took out utility poles and power lines. Much of the power was restored Friday morning.
Pittsburgh Street, the main artery connecting Cheswick to Springdale, was supposed to reopen at 10 a.m. That didn't happen.
KDKA-TV's prior reports said the larger smokestack was supposed to collapse in on itself a bit and then fall. It didn't appear to do that.
"Somebody definitely dropped the ball," Moore said.
Springdale police said Pittsburgh Street will reopen at 6 p.m. The emergency management coordinator for the Allegheny Valley said no one was injured. He added the demolition company will be responsible for fixing the damage to the houses.
Controlled Demolition, which handled the job, released a statement, saying in part:
"The 750' and 552' tall chimneys were felled on time this morning given the cooperation from Mayor Joe Bertoline, his Police Department and other Springdale services. The chimneys fell exactly where they were supposed to, per plan, and the noise levels and vibration from our detonation of small quantities of explosives to fell the structures and the monitored vibration resulting from the chimneys impact at grade were well below allowable Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection limits.
"Unfortunately, the 750' chimney's steel liner focused air pressure as it collapsed upon impact in the designated fall area. That focused air blast caused some issues which were quickly addressed at the site while dust from the felling of the structures was cleaned up by the main demolition contractor. The process of repairing minor damages caused by the focused air pressure have already begun and will be fully completed to the satisfaction of each property owner affected."
