SO, SARAH, HOW MUCH OILY WATER DID THEY RECOVER FROM THIS? BRIAN LAUNDRIE THE EPA SAYS THEY ESTIMATE OVER 4000 GALLONS BASED ON THE NUMBER OF TOTES OR CONTAINERS THAT THEY THEN RECOVERED ON SITE AT J AND K SALVAGE AFTER THE FIRE. BUT ULTIMATELY, THERE’S REALLY JUST NO WAY TO KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH. WE’VE SET UP SEVERAL AIR MONITORING STATIONS AROUND THE BURNED BUILDING, AND WE’VE BEEN MAKING WHAT WE CALL LEVEL B ENTRIES. SO WEARING APPROPRIATE LEVELS OF PPE TO KEEP MY CREW SAFE, TO GO IN AND TEST WHAT WAS IN THE DRUMS THAT WERE FOUND IN THE STRUCTURE. SO FAR, THEY HAVE CHARACTERIZED ALL 39 OF THE CONTAINERS THAT WE WERE ABLE TO LOCATE IN THE BUILDING, AND WE’RE FINDING AUTOMOTIVE FLUIDS, WHICH IS WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT AT A SCRAP YARD. ASHLEY NIELSEN SAYS NONE OF WHICH HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER. SHE SAYS THREE BOOMS REMAIN IN CODORUS CREEK AND THREE IN THE RIVER. AS A PRECAUTION, BASED ON THE MATERIAL THAT DID GET INTO THE CREEK, NELSON SAYS THOSE BOOMS WILL STAY FOR ABOUT A MONTH OR TWO, JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING THAT WAS SPILLED IS COLLECTED. BECAUSE OF THE DAMAGE FROM THE FIRE. OFFICIALS SAY IT’S GOING TO BE DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY JUST HOW MANY CONTAINERS FULL OF MATERIAL WERE STORED ON THE PROPERTY. AND IF IT FOLLOWED STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS, AND ALSO IF J AND K SALVAGE COULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE, WE’D HAVE TO COMPLETE OUR INVESTIGATION AND THEN MAKE A DETERMINATION BASED ON THE INFORMATION THAT WE’VE GATHERED. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE IS ALSO STILL UNDER INVESTIGATION. BUT AT THIS TIME, OFFICIALS SAY THAT THEY HAVE FULLY TRANSITIONED FROM EMERGENCY RESPONSE TO REMOVAL AND RECOVERY, AND THAT WILL INCLUDE A DEMOLITION ON J AND K SALVAGE PROPERTY. FROM THAT BURNED BUILDING. SO HOPEFULLY THEY WILL ALSO HAVE A CAUSE O
Pennsylvania DEP orders York County salvage yard to shut down
Updated: 2:39 PM EDT Mar 19, 2026
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has ordered a York County salvage yard to shut down.Video above: Previous report on oil leak at J&K Salvage.The order comes weeks after a major fire at J&K Salvage on Kings Mill Road in Spring Garden Township, York County, caused oil to spill into a nearby waterway that feeds the Codorus Creek, which then flows into the Susquehanna River.J&K is ordered to stop accepting and processing waste and begin removing waste at the site.”In addition, DEP notified the Commonwealth Court that J&K Salvage has not complied with a 2024 Court Order and requested that the Court compel compliance by jailing the owner, imposing daily penalties, and imposing a judgment for a previous penalty,” a statement from DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said.Video below: Crews fight fire at salvage yard.Summary of Shirley’s statementDEP says J&K Salvage’s owners have repeatedly shown they are unwilling or unable to follow Pennsylvania environmental laws and regulations.DEP emphasized that it will continue holding polluters accountable and will not tolerate violations that threaten public health or Pennsylvania’s air, land, and water.DEP has ordered J&K Salvage to shut down and clean up the site and is seeking court action to force compliance.Under an Administrative Order, J&K Salvage must immediately:stop operating the metal shredder and any other equipment used to separate metal, wood waste, and other waste;stop accepting any solid waste at the site;remove all solid waste to a permitted disposal or recycling facility;provide DEP with weekly waste receipts; andsubmit an updated Preparedness, Prevention, and Contingency Plan addressing pollutants that may enter stormwater runoff.The Administrative Order also addresses newer alleged violations of the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and Solid Waste Management Act.In a separate court filing, DEP told the Commonwealth Court that Harry J. Darrah, Joe Darrah, Inc., J&K Salvage, Darrah Realty, LP, and Darrah Management LLC still have not complied with an earlier court order to fix violations at the site.In 2024, the Court found Darrah in contempt for failing to comply with a 2021 order and required corrective actions to resolve that contempt.The Court’s 2024 order says Harry J. Darrah III could face a bench warrant and 45 days in York County Jail if DEP certifies continued noncompliance.DEP is also seeking a $40,750 civil penalty plus additional penalties of $250 per day until the contempt is resolved.DEP noted that the Court’s order was issued before the most recent incident at J&K Salvage, and its latest court notice is separate from that incident.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has ordered a York County salvage yard to shut down.
Video above: Previous report on oil leak at J&K Salvage.
The order comes weeks after a major fire at J&K Salvage on Kings Mill Road in Spring Garden Township, York County, caused oil to spill into a nearby waterway that feeds the Codorus Creek, which then flows into the Susquehanna River.
J&K is ordered to stop accepting and processing waste and begin removing waste at the site.
“In addition, DEP notified the Commonwealth Court that J&K Salvage has not complied with a 2024 Court Order and requested that the Court compel compliance by jailing the owner, imposing daily penalties, and imposing a judgment for a previous penalty,” a statement from DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley said.
Video below: Crews fight fire at salvage yard.
Summary of Shirley’s statementDEP says J&K Salvage’s owners have repeatedly shown they are unwilling or unable to follow Pennsylvania environmental laws and regulations.DEP emphasized that it will continue holding polluters accountable and will not tolerate violations that threaten public health or Pennsylvania’s air, land, and water.DEP has ordered J&K Salvage to shut down and clean up the site and is seeking court action to force compliance.Under an Administrative Order, J&K Salvage must immediately:stop operating the metal shredder and any other equipment used to separate metal, wood waste, and other waste;stop accepting any solid waste at the site;remove all solid waste to a permitted disposal or recycling facility;provide DEP with weekly waste receipts; andsubmit an updated Preparedness, Prevention, and Contingency Plan addressing pollutants that may enter stormwater runoff.The Administrative Order also addresses newer alleged violations of the Pennsylvania Clean Streams Law and Solid Waste Management Act.In a separate court filing, DEP told the Commonwealth Court that Harry J. Darrah, Joe Darrah, Inc., J&K Salvage, Darrah Realty, LP, and Darrah Management LLC still have not complied with an earlier court order to fix violations at the site.In 2024, the Court found Darrah in contempt for failing to comply with a 2021 order and required corrective actions to resolve that contempt.The Court’s 2024 order says Harry J. Darrah III could face a bench warrant and 45 days in York County Jail if DEP certifies continued noncompliance.DEP is also seeking a $40,750 civil penalty plus additional penalties of $250 per day until the contempt is resolved.DEP noted that the Court’s order was issued before the most recent incident at J&K Salvage, and its latest court notice is separate from that incident.