EXPLOSIONS

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 metalscrapping 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.

Madosky doesn’t want a repeat of past environmental issues on the South Side, including the massive fire that consumed a recycling center on Marion Road three years ago, a blaze ignited by a cigarette.

“We had Buckeye Steel and Georgia Pacific,” Madosky said, referring to environmental hazards at the old Buckeye Steel Castings foundry, and the 1997 explosion of a resin tank at Georgia Pacific’s South Side facility.