DEP inspecting site of scrap-yard fire

While the Philadelphia fire marshal continues to investigate the cause of a scrap-yard fire Thursday night, federal and state environmental officials yesterday checked the site for any environmental damage caused by the blaze.

Reports of the waste-management and water-quality teams from the state Department of Environmental Protection will be available next week, said DEP spokeswoman Deborah Fries.

Also inspecting the site were representatives from the city's Automotive Scrap Yard Compliance and Enforcement Program, she said.

The two-alarm fire at SPC Corp., at 26th Street and Penrose Avenue, broke out around 9 p.m. in a 25-foot high pile of junked cars and other scrap, forcing officials to close the Platt Memorial Bridge.

Firefighting crews were on the site until 3:30 yesterday morning, said fire dispatcher Jim Smith.

One firefighter was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania with knee and ankle injuries, he said, and two civilians were taken to Methodist Hospital with minor injuries.

Fries said that two years ago, when the company applied for a permit to recycle tires, residents said at a hearing that they were concerned about fires and other safety issues at the yard. The permit was denied, she said.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.