YORK COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection confirmed a massive salvage yard fire in York County contaminated the Codorus Creek.

Fluids from J&K Salvage and the water that crews used to extinguish a fire at the site on Wednesday ran off into an unnamed tributary and into the Codorus Creek, the department said. An oily sheen is visible as far downstream as the creek’s confluence with the Susquehanna River.

Close

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

The department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency are placing booms into the creek at several locations to contain and capture the fluids, which will then be vacuumed out.

There is no threat to public health, and public drinking water systems are not affected, the department stressed. Officials with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission are monitoring wildlife.

Smoke was visible for miles on Wednesday as vehicles and buildings burned at the salvage site in Spring Garden Township. Burning oil, tires and vehicles contributed to the dense, black smoke. The cause of the fire and the extent of damage remain under investigation.

Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, an independent nonprofit, collected samples of pollutants on Thursday from the creek, according to a video from the organization that showed an oil slick downstream from the site. The organization said it shared its results with state officials.

The Codorus Creek is a 42-mile-long tributary of the Susquehanna River that flows throughout York County, rising in Manheim Township, two miles north of the Pennsylvania-Maryland line.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC27.