WILMINGTON (CNS)- Los Angeles firefighters spent about five hours offloading about 4,700 gallons of a solvent from a leaking railcar in Wilmington on Tuesday.

Firefighters sent to the tracks near the 1300 block of South Alameda Street about 11 a.m. had Alameda closed between Pacific Coast Highway and Sepulved Boulevard as a precaution, Matt Spence of the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

The liquid -- identified as pentanol, a form of alcohol -- was leaking at the rate of 3-5 gallons per minute, Spence said. No evacuations were ordered.

Fire crews were unable to stop the leak or close a valve. So vacuum trucks were brought in to suck up the stuff, Spence said. Pentanol is a solvent that can be used as a fuel

A Fayette County industrial water treatment plant spilled an unknown quantity of an alcohol-based chemical into the Monongahela River Wednesday night, killing several fish and shutting down river traffic for a time, the state Department of Environmental Protection said.

An emergency response team from the DEP, the county's hazardous materials team and four fire departments responded to the Henwil treatment plant in Newell, across the river from California Borough, after the spill was reported at around 5:40 p.m, said DEP spokeswoman Katy Gresh.

Ms. Gresh said the company told DEP offcials that the material was held in a tank that apparently leaked, spilling into two containment areas that overflowed. The material then entered the river, leaving a sheen that hugged the riverbank about 700 yards long and 20 yards wide.

In total, the company said it lost about 2,000 gallons of the chemical, but it's not clear how much of that escaped the containment pits and went into the river. The company told DEP that the material was "biodegradable but toxic to aquatic organisms," Ms. Gresh said, adding that DEP was working to verify what was spilled into the river.

Firepot 911 call: 'My mom's on fire'
Husband, wife burned after fire pot explodes

By Leon Hendrix
JENISON, Mich. (WOOD) -  An Ottawa County family is now among the dozens impacted by a product meant to beautify outdoor decks and keep the bugs away.

A 50-year-old woman was with her family in her backyard when a firepot she owned exploded as she added more liquid to it Friday night.
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Problems often arise because of the nature of flame that burns from an alcohol-based product like the ones in question. The flame is often difficult to see or sometimes invisible, prompting consumers to dangerously add more fuel or attempt to reignite a fire that is still burning.