Morning Roundup: Firefighters battle chemical blaze in Washington County
Here are some of the latest news items from this morning, Thursday, Sept. 14:
Firefighters battle chemical blaze in Washington County
Emergency crews were called to the scene of a fire Wednesday night at Reaxis Specialty Chemical in Washington County.
Crews reported to the 900 block of Robinson Highway at 9 p.m. for an industrial fire that broke out at the plant on Robinson Highway in McDonald. In addition to fire companies, hazmat crews also responded to the blaze.
According to Washington County 911, the fire was caused by a 1,000-gallon hydrochloric acid tank, which caught fire inside the plant.
Officials said no one was reported hurt or entrapped in the fire.
Arrests made for alleged food bank scam
Pittsburgh police said they investigated a complaint by the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank regarding two people fraudulently collecting money under the guise of working for the organization.
Police said a food bank employee reported confronting the two alleged perpetrators who were using buckets and carrying unauthorized and outdated Food Bank ID cards. The two were allegedly collecting money outside Acrisure Stadium during the Rib Fest weekend from Aug. 30 to Sept. 4.
Police arrested 59-year-old William Roberson and 55-year-old Diane Plymire of Pittsburgh.
Roberson and Plymire face multiple charges including theft by deception, theft by unlawful taking, identity theft and conspiracy.
Water main break under repair in North Hills
Crews were repairing a water main break in the North Hills on Thursday morning.
The break occurred near the Best Buy on McKnight Road in Ross. There was reportedly no traffic impact.
Crews had to dig into the ground to find the cracked pipe and said the work could take a couple of hours. The cause of the break is not immediately known, but West View Water Authority told Tribune-Review news partner WTAE that possible causes could be old pipes, pressure spikes or even the temperature dropping possibly.
Haley Daugherty is a TribLive reporter covering local politics, feature stories and Allegheny County news. A native of Pittsburgh, she lived in Alabama for six years. She joined the Trib in 2022 after graduating from Chatham University. She can be reached at hdaugherty@triblive.com.
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