BLAWNOX, Pa. -- Firefighters are being honored for their response to a blaze that ignited at a Blawnox chemical plant and forced a temporary evacuation of some neighbors' homes.

"We are very thankful to have these unselfish unsung heroes that always there when you need them. We recognize this and are going to thank all of them in person," said Gregg Pelagio, of the Royston-Chase Corporation, in an e-mail to Channel 4 Action News.

The company will buy pizza and hand out plaques on Tuesday night at its second location at the RIDC park in O'Hara Township for about 100 invited firefighters from Blawnox, Aspinwall, Fox Chapel, Guyasuta, Harmarville, Pleasant Valley and Sharpsburg, and the Blawnox police department.

Concerns about the hazardous materials inside the Royston-Chase plant prompted fire crews to evacuate homes on Second Street when the fire broke out on Friday night.

Firefighters extinguished the flames quickly and no hazardous materials teams were called in.

"This is a pretty big producer of hazardous materials. If there had to be a fire in any of the buildings here, it was good that it was in this one because had the least amount of hazardous materials in it," Blawnox Fire Chief George McBriar said.

The fire marshal continues to investigate a cause.

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