A utility crew contracted by PECO struck an underground Sunoco pipeline Thursday afternoon in Upper Merion Township, spilling jet fuel.
The spill was contained to the Insurance Auto Auction property where the pipeline strike occurred and the adjacent Glasgow Quarry, according to Upper Merion Township Police Chief Blaine Leis.
There is no danger to the public, officials said.
Here’s what to know:
The PECO contractor was working at East 4th Street, also known as River Road, and Coates Street near Bridgeport when it struck the 14-inch underground Sunoco pipeline.
Upper Merion public safety officials dispatched fire and hazmat teams.
Nearby residents were initially told not to leave their homes as public safety teams and first responders worked with Sunoco and parent company Energy Transfer to shut off the leak, Leis said.
The shelter-in-place order was lifted later Thursday.
PECO, in a statement, said the contractor that hit the pipeline was working for the company, and that no PECO customers have been impacted.
“PECO crews remain on-site and will continue to coordinate with Energy Transfer to provide operational support,” the statement reads.
There is no immediate danger to the public, a spokesperson from the multi-agency team overseeing the response said in a statement, and the spill “is not expected to pose a threat to public drinking water.”
The “Unified Command” response team includes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Energy Transfer.
Officials did not immediately respond to a question about how much jet fuel was spilled.
“Air monitoring has been deployed around the site and the perimeter to protect workers and to detect any changes in air quality associated with the collected fuel,” the spokesperson said.
