PHILADELPHIA—The City of Philadelphia has determined that Philadelphia residents were not exposed to chemicals or air toxics as a result of the recent fire in Abington Township.

Inspectors from the Health Department’s Air Management Services division collected an air sample in the immediate vicinity of the fire. This sample was run through the Air Management laboratory’s GC-MS, or gas chromatography–mass spectrometer. The results of that test showed that no toxic compounds were identified in quantities that would threaten human health.

Technicians from the Philadelphia Water Department collected samples from the creeks leading to the Delaware River and results have not indicated any concerns with drinking water quality at the Baxter Water Treatment Plant in Northeast Philadelphia. Testing will continue for the next 24-48 hours.

Residents are asked to call 911 or their healthcare provider if they have a health or safety concern associated with this event.

The Health Department and Water Department were only two of the City agencies that responded swiftly and collaboratively to the event. Members of the Philadelphia Fire Department were on-scene supporting fire suppression efforts, hazardous materials expertise, and testing for airborne compounds. The Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management coordinated the City’s overall response and liaised with emergency responders in the suburban counties and at the state. The City has been sharing all of the sample results collected with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, which has also been testing and sharing similar results as the City with the public.

For the latest information on air quality in Philadelphia, visit the Health Department’s air quality website and this map that has real-time air quality monitoring at the City’s monitors. For the latest information on emergencies in Philadelphia, please visit the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management X account, the Health Department’s Bluesky account, and register to receive emergency alerts from via ReadyPhiladelphia by texting READYPHILA to 888-777 or visiting https://www.phila.gov/ready.