The implosion at the Cheswick Generating Station in Springdale, a borough just northeast of Pittsburgh, occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Friday, bringing the stacks down with a loud crash and a huge cloud of dust. One tower stood about 550 feet tall and the other 750 feet .
Bruno Moretti, Allegheny County's emergency management coordinator, said the air blast broke windows and blew dust from the fallen stacks into homes. The surge also felled trees and several power poles and their wires, leading to a power surge that damaged electrical appliances such as stoves, furnaces, air conditioners, refrigerators and TVs, he said.
Moretti said he didn't yet have a final report about how many people had reported damage, and more reports may be coming in. He said, however, that people he has talked to have had positive things to say about the company's response. Video of the implosion recorded by Joe Kern shows the two smokestacks fall one after the other as a thunderous blast is heard. Dirt and debris cover the air as the smokestacks hit the ground, shaking the trees and powerlines in the area. Voices can be heard yelling as debris consumes the area following the collapse.