Central Ohio explosions shake up neighborhood

Local businesses, residents want to find out cause.

Explosions reportedly coming from a Columbus metals-recycling plant are rattling nearby businesses and residents, who want to know what’s going on and how to make it stop.

The latest boom came last week. Community leaders and residents believe the culprit is PSC Metals, 2205 Parsons Ave. The scrap-metal yard crushes cars, and residents say they’ve been told that gas tanks are exploding in the process.

Last week, residents began posting on social media site Next Door about a loud boom they heard around 11:10 p.m. on Feb. 13.

“I just laid down and heard it and I swear I felt my house shake,” wrote Michelle Madosky, who lives almost two miles from the PSC Metals site.

Another resident, who lives on Bruck Street, wrote, “Heard it and felt it shake the house a bit. Scary!”

A third wrote, “Me too, was it an earthquake? I live on Linwood. The dog went crazy.”

During an interview this week, Madosky said that she’s heard rumbles before. But nothing like this.

“I knew it had to be pretty significant, whatever it was,” she said.

“I always thought it was the railroad cars over here. This was different. This was so powerful it shook the ground.”

A week ago, Donna Bates of the Reeb-Hosack/Steelton Village Committee emailed Richard York, PSC’s yard manager, telling him that the frequency and intensity of the explosions has significantly increased. She wrote that she read social media posts from as far as the Berwick neighborhood, roughly three miles away, commenting on the forcefulness of the Feb. 13 blast.

York did not return phone and email messages. Adam Martin, the company’s lawyer, did not return a call.

The explosions are also concerning neighboring businesses.

Franklin International, which makes glues, adhesives, sealants and polymers and employs 300 at its plant at 2020 Bruck St., filed suit against PSC Metals last year, claiming that explosions, excessive vibrations, noise pollution and particulate emissions were hurting Franklin’s business and violating city ordinances, including zoning laws.

The suit says the vibrations and emissions have damaged Franklin’s buildings and manufacturing equipment, and significantly increased maintenance costs. The explosions “cause Franklin’s employees to fear for their personal safety.” The suit asks for preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent noise, vibrations and particulates from reaching Franklin’s property.

John Kuhl, a Columbus lawyer representing Franklin, said the explosions cause its buildings to shake. He said PSC Metals is not removing gas tanks or gasoline from cars before crushing them.

He said PSC has shown that it is unable to fix the problem.

“We’ve got videos of these explosions,” Kuhl said. “They’re frightening when they occur.”

A hearing on the preliminary injunction was held in January. Kuhl expects a decision soon. He said Franklin doesn’t want PSC to close.

PSC Metals has had at least nine fires since 2011. Last year, the company paid $10,000 in fines after it was found guilty of two felony counts of violating metal-scrapping laws.

The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has no pending orders or complaints against PSC, agency spokesman James Lee said. In 2017, the company resolved violations involving record-keeping, air monitoring and oil and hydraulic fluid spills.