Bensalem Tower Fire: Officials Take Cellphone Tower Down Safely

Bensalem Tower Fire: Officials Take Cellphone Tower Down Safely
Jack Phillips
6/24/2013
Updated:
7/18/2015

The Bensalem tower fire prompted officials in suburban Philadelphia to take the tower down. The tower. fire was put out a short while after it started.

BENSALEM, Pa.  — A 75-foot-tall cellphone tower that caught fire in suburban Philadelphia last week has been safely taken down.

The tower caught fire around 11:30 Friday morning while work was being done on it. BensalemTownship Public Safety Director Fred Harran says welders initially tried to put the fire out themselves, but the flames spread and they had to rappel down.

Officials had said the tower was leaning, which prompted the evacuation of nearby homes. But the fire was put out a short time later and there were no reports of injuries.

WPVI-TV reports a large crane took down the structure around 9:30 p.m. Friday. Officials had set up a 300-foot safety perimeter around the tower because of fears it might collapse.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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