Investigation continues into 'major' fire, explosion at Parker Lord plant

SAEGERTOWN, Pa.—Investigations continue into a Feb. 9 fire and subsequent explosion that caused major damage to a Parker Lord Corp. building in northwest Pennsylvania.

"At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 9, a fire occurred in our production facility in Saegertown, Pa.," Christopher Farage, vice president of international HR and external affairs for Parker Lord, told Rubber News Feb. 24. "Most production and plans to serve our customers are back underway. We are very pleased to report that substantially all Parker Lord team members who work at the facility are at work as of today."

Eight people were received minor injuries during the incident, Farage said, and all have since been released from the Meadville Medical Center and UPMC Hamot in Erie.

Initial news reports stated that 13 people were injured during the incident, though Parker Lord said four local firefighters and four fire safety workers from the Parker Lord fire brigade reported injuries.

"Injuries to team members and first responders were minor, most went to the local medical center for several hours or only as a precaution," Farage said.

About 33 workers were at the plant at the time of the fire and explosion, according to Parker Lord. About 235 people are employed at the Saegertown facility in total, one of the company's largest manufacturing sites.

Saegertown Borough officials referred requests for comment to Parker Lord.

"Local fire and first responders were notified and quickly arrived at the facility," Farage said. "An explosion occurred during the effort to contain the fire ... (and) the fire was swiftly extinguished.

"Damage to the facility was limited to a single building, Building 8. There was no or very little damage elsewhere across the large facility."

An investigation into the cause of the incident is ongoing and has not been completed, Farage said Feb. 24.

An overall damage estimate was not yet known.

According to local news reports, firefighters were called back to the plant Feb. 18 for what Parker Lord officials said was a minor flare-up fire involving still-smoldering roofing material.

The 325,000-sq.-ft. Parker Lord Saegertown facility manufactures adhesives, coatings and specialty materials that are used in the automotive (almost all passenger vehicles worldwide), aerospace, industrial and the oil and gas industries.

The company undertook a 75,000-sq.-ft., $80 million expansion in 2018 that was completed in 2023, according to the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry.

Specific chemicals used at the Saegertown plant include acrylic, urethane and epoxy adhesives. Processes employed there include mixing, blending and dispersing.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection continues to monitor air contaminants and is monitoring local waterways, according to the agency.

Local news outlets also have reported that Saegertown Borough drinking water has been tested and is safe to consume.

Because injuries were reported, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration likely will conduct its own investigation surrounding equipment safety protocols and past safety records.

Parker Lord has said it will conduct internal investigations and cooperate fully with all others.

"We offer our sincere thanks to the local fire department, emergency management and first responders," Farage said. "“We intend to learn from this incident and continue to place the safety of our team members and our communities as our highest priority."

Outside of Saegertown, Parker Lord has a flagship facility to the north in Erie, and another plant in nearby Cambridge Springs.

Parker Lord Corp. is a subsidiary of Parker Hannifin Corp., a motion and control technologies firm based in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.

Parker Hannifin purchased Lord Corp. in October 2019.