A fire erupted yesterday (26 May) morning in a chemical storage unit at the Sri Jayawardanepura University, Fire Service Department sources told The Nation. An emergency call was placed at around 11.30 a.m. yesterday to the Fire Service Department regarding a fire at the university, the source confirmed. A dispatch unit from the Kotte station and two units from the Main Fire Station were dispatched immediately, to quell the fire, he explained. No casualties were incurred due to the fire, since Firefighters were quick to arrive at the scene to put it out, informed sources in the University pointed out to The Nation.

When inquired as to the causes for the breakout of fire in a chemical storage unit, with a university campus, Fire Services officials said that no conclusive reasons were identified for its onset. However, they stated that the storage unit was flooded due to the recent rains that had most of Colombo under water. University sources also confirmed that the storage unit became flooded due to the rains.
When asked why a hazardous materials site, such as the storage unit, did not have adequate preventive measures against such inevitabilities, Fire officials stated that it was a serious risk that must have been addressed by the university administration.However the university sources declined to comment.

Emergency services received a call at 11:47 BST on Thursday reporting a fire in a chemical lab in the David Keir building on Stranmillis Road.

Six fire engines, two "specialist appliances" and a mobile command unit went to the incident.

An investigation is under way to determine how the fire started.

In a statement, the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue service said: "Fire crews dealt with a fire in a chemical storeroom of a laboratory on the third floor of the four-storey building.

"It was quite a challenging incident for firefighters to deal with due to the extensive size of the building and the nature of what was involved in the fire."

"Fire crews ventilated the building and the incident was dealt with at 16:10 BST. Early indications would suggest the fire was accidental."

No-one was injured during the alert. A spokesman for QUB said it was too early to say what caused the fire and that a storeroom had been extensively damaged.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — A government building that houses the Vermont governor's office had to be evacuated after some state workers starting feeling sick.

The employees at the Pavilion Building in Montpelier reported having headaches and watery eyes on Wednesday.

The source appears to have been a waterproof sealant that was being applied to the outside bricks and wafting into the building.

An entire shift of firefighters has been replaced at a northeast D.C. station after falling ill.

All eight firefighters at Engine 10 Station in the 1300 block of Florida Avenue NE complained of possible symptoms of chemical exposure – like respiratory problems and burning eyes – Wednesday evening, News4’s Jackie Bensen reported.

D.C. Fire and EMS declared a mass casualty hazmat and took the firefighters to the police and fire clinic for observation.

The firefighters could be ill from a fire they fought about 11 a.m. in the 3700 block of Hayes Street NE, officials said. It’s possible it was a PCP lab.

Extra fire crews were called in to cover Engine 10 Station.

to Lauderdale Lakes Middle School Wednesday after reports of several children breaking out in rashes.

The team did not find anything in the classroom that would have prompted the outbreak.

Four students were taken to the hospital as a precaution, according to Broward County school officials.

On May 16th a similar incident happened at McArthur High School, also in Broward County.

Where a dozen students and two teachers were taken to the hospital and released shortly afterward.

The mixture of chemicals in an optometrist's office at 1567 Lemoine Ave. on Tuesday afternoon resulted in a small fire that was quickly doused with a fire extinguisher. 

Fort Lee Fire Chief Keith Sabatino said that the building was evacuated, and because the fire was the result of an unknown chemical mixture, the Bergen County Hazardous Materials Response Team (HazMat) was called in to evaluate the proper response to the incident. 

Bergen HazMat determined that the chemicals used were alcohol-based and gave clearance for the fire department to proceed with ventilating the building before allowing anyone to return.  

A passing police officer heard the activated fire alarm and responded to the call. Both the police officer and a fireman who "took in smoke" were taken to an area hospital for precaution. 

"We're lucky that everyone was safe," Sabatino said. "The goal of every call is to get everyone home safe, and we did."

An explosion at Arens Controls Facility in northwest suburban Arlington Heights in Chicago, has left one person dead and ten injured.
Firefighters and police responded to Arens in the 3600 block of North Kennicott Avenue around 9 a.m. for what they considered at the time a chemical explosion. About 50 employees were evacuated and were left standing outside for more than three hours after the explosion this morning at the factory in Chicago.
Seven workers were injured and three police officers, two from Arlington Heig

hts and one from Buffalo Grove departments, were treated for respiratory problems.
The Arlington Heights Fire Department have reported the injuries were caused by a malfunctioning machine. Police have confirmed it was likely an industrial accident because there is no visible damage on the outside of the factory building.
Arlington Heights Fire Chief Glenn Erickson said in a statement, “The chemical they were using was a diluted form of potassium hydroxide. At this point in time we don’t know what role the chemical had in the accident, if it had any role at all.”
Firefighters and police are still investigating what exactly caused the explosion at the Arlington Heights Factory in Chicago.
Mary Capelli-Schellpfeffer, MD, medical director of occupational health at Loyola University Health System said, “After an industrial accident, even if someone can ‘walk away’ without visible injuries, it doesn’t mean there aren’t health concerns. Even after authorities have determined the cause of today’s explosion, the uncertainty and worry about the tragedy can continue for several weeks or months. It’s important during this time to help employees and neighbors to stay focused to limit additional injuries.”

A strong chemical odor inside the Leslie Pools store brought firefighters to air out the building after two employees evacuated the store shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday. A chemical fire started an hour later inside the front door.

Manteca Fire Battalion Chief David Marques held his men outside the building not knowing what caustic chemicals they were dealing with and called in the San Joaquin County Hazmat Team from Stockton.  Another hazmat specialist employed by the pool company was responding from Oakland.

Firefighters had placed an exhaust fan in the doorway to draw fumes out of the building. They then stood between their engines and waited for the arrival of the hazard materials specialists.

At about 10:30 a.m. one firefighter yelled “fire”. The firefighters scrambled toward the pool sales building.  An immediate call to the dispatcher alerted the call center that they now had a structure fire.  Another fire engine was sent to the scene not knowing what was going to develop once the chemicals started reacting with each other.

Fire Captain Rob Grycel and firefighter Brad Missouri were the first to make it to the front of the building. They grabbed the water line that had already been laid in front of the structure as a preventative measure.

A small blaze centered in and around buckets filled with calcium hypo chloride igniting nearby cardboard displays near the front window. Flames licked up the sides of the containers from the floor level.  Firemen were also concerned about putting water on the fire not knowing if it would cause a chemical reaction as well.

A terminal at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport was closed for a time after an unknown chemical sent five people to the hospital with respiratory complaints.

Terminal 2 was evacuated for about two hours Friday as hazardous materials technicians investigated what caused several people to become ill.

The cause remains under investigation, though an airport spokesman says it appears an aerosol can discharged.

Broward County Sheriff Fire Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles says three Transportation Security Administration agents and two passengers were affected by the irritant.

Investigators collected air samples and determined it was safe for people to re-enter. More than 1,000 passengers have been delayed and several inbound flights were diverted to other airports.

PUPILS had to be evacuated from a secondary school after a chemical alert.

Several fire crews and a hazardous material unit were sent to the school yesterday morning after reports of fumes.

The incident involved chemicals in a science preparation room at Brine Leas school in Nantwich.

The substances which sparked the alert were removed from the building and are now being disposed of by a specialist company.

Kutch, May 17 (PTI) One person was killed and two others injured when a fire broke out during unloading of chemical from a tanker at Kandla complex near the port, police said. "An inferno broke out when some chemical was being unloaded from a tanker at a terminal operated by a private firm Kesar Chemicals in Kandla complex near the port," they said. One person died and two others sustained injuries, officials said. Around ten fire fighters including those of Kandla port reached the site and brought fire under control, they said, adding the tanker and the terminal were damaged in the incident.

Barwani (MP), May 16 (PTI) Two persons were killed and 11 others were injured today in an explosion in a truck carrying chemicals at Balsamund Check Post, police said. The truck was on its way to Indore from Mumbai. The explosion took place as the driver had parked it at the post and gone out for clearing paper work. Thirteen persons, standing around the truck, were injured seriously. Deepak Pancholi and one Pal died. The rest were admitted to Barwani hospital, police said adding that cause of the fire was not yet known.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- A large explosion ripped through a steel plant in southern China on Monday afternoon, killing nine people and injuring several others, state-run media reported.

The explosion occurred at around 3:48 p.m. local time at a plant operated by Shaoguan Steel Co. Ltd. in the municipality of Shaoguan in China's southern province of Guangdong. It happened as workers from China MCC5 Group Corp. were installing facilities at the location.

The state-run Xinhua news agency cited local government officials as saying that eight people died at the scene, while a ninth victim died late on Monday evening. Six workers were injured, including one person who remains seriously injured.

The cause of the explosion remains unknown, but investigations have already been launched.

The rapid economic growth in China, in combination with poor safety measures, frequently result in deadly industrial accidents. In late February, thirteen people were killed and 43 others were injured when a blast ripped through a chemical plant in China's northern Hebei province.

VISTA, Calif. -- An explosion at a spa manufacturing factory blew a 20x20 foot hole in the roof of a Vista business around 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
The explosion occurred inside a container at Watkins Manufacturing Inc., located at 1280 Park Center Drive.
According to 10News, investigators aren't sure what caused the explosion, but the 8,000 gallon container filled with chemicals was cleaned early Thursday and it was that container that exploded late Thursday night.
When Carlsbad and Vista fire units arrived, they had toxic smoke wafting from the remains of the building, as well as water running from the building to a storm drain at 100 gallons per minute.
Fire officials called Camp Pendleton HAZMAT, as well as San Diego County Health, and then pulled their units across the street to a safe distance fearing another explosion.
No one was inside the building at the time and no injuries were reported.

INVESTIGATIONS have begun into what went wrong during a science experiment that left two Tumbarumba High School students with facial burns yesterday.
A boy and girl, both 15, suffered superficial burns after an explosion involving a Bunsen burner about 9.30am.

The pair were in a stable condition at Wagga Base Hospital last night.

NSW Education Department spokesman Grant Hatch said the explosion happened during a year 9, period one class.

The students were undertaking a practical science lesson supervised by an experienced teacher, he said.

A crucible being heated on a Bunsen burner by a group of three students exploded, injuring two students.

The teacher and other staff immediately applied first aid until paramedics arrived.

The Southcare helicopter was called but was not needed.

Mr Hatch said instructions for the experiment were provided on the board and in a textbook.

Measured chemicals were provided to each group by the teacher.

Mr Hatch did not know what chemicals were involved.

The school was continuing investigations into the cause. Police were also on the scene.

“Inquiries are continuing but unless there’s some kind of criminal activity the investigation will be handed to WorkCover,” Albury Insp John Wadsworth said.

A fire investigator and WorkCover inspector were at the school yesterday afternoon conducting a preliminary investigation into the explosion.

Mr Hatch said students and teachers would be provided counselling.

He said the school was not severely damaged by the explosion but that the lab had been shut to allow for a clean-up.

GEISMAR, LA (WAFB) -
A hazardous materials team has been called out to Westlake Vinyl in Ascension Parish after a power outage and chemical release Wednesday.

According to officials at Westlake, the power failure around 4 p.m. resulted in a release of a substance. The substance and the amount that was released is not known at this time. That is why the hazardous materials team was called.

There were no serious injuries reported, however, three contractors were taken to the hospital as a precaution and released.

This is the second time since March the hazardous materials team has been called to Westlake Vinyl. In March, an explosion and fire lead to a chemical release. The plant had just reopened Wednesday following repairs.  The Department of Environmental Quality said there was no threat to people in the area following that incident.

The massive explosion at the factory of a Bangkok Synthetics subsidiary that killed 11 and injured another 129 people on Saturday has prompted the Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand (IEAT) to examine 65 hazardous factories in Map Ta Phut Industrial Estate.

The Pollution Control Depart-ment (PCD) has also called on manufacturers in the estate to reveal to the public and other agencies all hazardous and non-hazardous chemical substances used in their production processes.

The IEAT's deputy governor, Peerawt Rungrueng, said his agency would send teams to investigate 65 factories likely to be at risk accidents inside the estate.

The team will comprise staff from related agencies, local representatives and the Industrial Works Department.

"We will not investigate without participation from local people," he said, adding that the survey was expected to be finished next week.

Currently, IEAT staff are examining damage to the BST Elastomers facility and nearby factories affected by the massive explosion.

The IEAT has also ordered Aditya Birla Chemicals to suspend operations after a chemical leak at its Map Ta Phut factory on Sunday that led to the hospitalisation of 138 people.

A report of an acid spill prompted the evacuation of two buildings and a HazMat response at the Illinois Institute of Technology on the South Side on Tuesday afternoon.

About 1:30 p.m., a Level 2 HazMat response was called for a reported acid spill in the basement of 3110 S. State St., Fire Media Affairs spokesman Will Knight said. That building, as well as a second at 3105 S. State St., were evacuated.

But a spokesman for the school said there was no spill. The HazMat response was secured about 3:40 p.m.

Jeanne Hartig, vice president of communications at IIT, said students were conducting a regular chemical inventory in the Engineering 1 Building when they found a safety container holding a material used for etching metals.

The students were unfamiliar with the substance and contacted the school’s Public Safety department to be “extra cautious,” she said.

A source said the students were checking materials in the science building when they found expired and possibly dangerous materials, but Hartig would not confirm that information, though she said there had not been an acid spill.

The police Bomb and Arson Unit was removing the material from the building with firefighters’ assistance, Fire Media Director Larry Langford said. About 200 people were evacuated from the two buildings.

GARDEN CITY, Mich. -
A Garden City apartment complex is back to normal after a resident called in an exterminator to get rid of bed bugs, and then created a hazmat situation.

A resident at the Village Lake Apartments sprayed for bed bugs on Saturday afternoon, but entered their apartment before the three hour wait time. That caused the fumes from the extermination to leak into the hallways, according to fire officials.

One person was sent to the hospital, but has since been released. Several people complained of breathing problems

A LARGE blaze at a chemical factory in eastern Thailand killed 12 people, injured more than 100 and spewed toxic smoke into the air, the health ministry said today.


Hundreds of residents had to be evacuated after the fire, which was caused by an explosion at the factory in Rayong province, sent a plume of black acrid smoke into the sky yesterday.

Firefighters quelled the blaze but health officials continued to monitor air quality amid concerns poisonous fumes may still seep into the air.

A health ministry statement said 12 people had died in the explosion and ensuing fire while 129 were injured, mainly suffering burns.

The majority of the victims are believed to be factory workers.

"Doctors said 12 were killed in yesterday's explosion but we can only confirm 10 so far," Map Ta Phut police Lieutenant Colonel Charoen Vititkornkul said.

"Police forensic teams are searching for clues to what happened and we are also looking for any more bodies," he said, adding police were ready to evacuate more local residents if necessary.

Natrona County Fire crews responded to a science experiment gone wrong this morning at Midwest High School. A small fire from a chemical reaction caused the incident that investigators describe as accidental. One student was treated and released with a chemical burn.

Natrona County Fire Investigator Dave Baker, says they got the call around 9am

“There was smoke in the hallway and in one of the class rooms. Upon interior examination they found an area in the chemistry lab where there as a small fire, but the fire had actually burned itself out.”

Baker says there was no structure damage and the fire was isolated to a counter top. He declined to release any more details about the chemicals involved until the investigation is complete, but he did say it was an experiment they’d done many times before without incident.

No explosion or chemical release accompanied the fire.

The incident occurred just after 9am.  First responders isolated the area and classes were sent home for the day.

PAWTUCKET – Shea High School Principal Chris Lord reported Wednesday morning that a student brought several vials full of unidentifiable contents into school.

A school resource officer, as a precaution, contacted a hazmat team and the contents of the vials were inspected and found to be harmless, according to Lord.

Lord told The Breeze that a male student picked up the vials from a facility down by the Blackstone River and carried them to school even though he didn't know what was in them. Disciplinary action was pending, he said.

"Common sense is not so common anymore," said Lord. "He's been educated today though."

Shea was not evacuated, according to its principal.

"At no time was safety in the building compromised," said Lord. "Officer Pereira is commended for this precautionary action and the school day will proceed normally."

ST. HELENS -- A simmering dispute between neighbors in a duplex led to an apparent chemical attack early Wednesday morning that drew hazmat crews to the scene, police said.
Four people in an upstairs unit were taken to the hospital after reporting headaches, nausea and vomiting, St. Helens Police Chief Steve Salle told KGW.
Patrick Stangis, 50, who lives below the victims, was arrested for assault, reckless endangering and menacing.
Salle said Stangis admitted he was responsible for making the upstairs residents ill by pumping an unspecified chemical agent into the vents to their unit.

A CHEMICAL company was fined €300,000 yesterday over an explosion at a plant in which a worker was killed.

Liam Nodwell (58) died after suffering burns to 90pc of his body in a huge explosion on April 28, 2008, at the Corden PharmaChem plant in Little Island, Cork.

His burns were so bad that the ambulance that brought the dying man to Cork University Hospital later had to be taken out of service by the HSE and decontaminated.

Yesterday, Liam's brother and sister, Jimmy and Sheila Nodwell, told the Irish Independent nothing would ever make up for the loss of a devoted father, husband, brother and friend.

"He was a father figure to all of us -- he was a marvellous, kind, devoted man. He was worth 10 times €300,000. That's all we can say," they said.

Corden was fined €300,000 and ordered to pay costs of €72,000 after what Judge Patrick Moran at Cork Circuit Criminal Court said was "a very serious (safety) breach".

Mr Nodwell of Church Hill, Glanmire, died just hours after the explosion, which blew apart sections of the firm's Production Block II facility.

A second employee -- James O'Sullivan -- suffered multiple injuries but survived.

A civil action is understood to be still ongoing.

Corden pleaded guilty to four different breaches of health and safety regulations.

The company expressed its regrets and sympathies to the Nodwell family on their loss.

A blown transformer at Emcore caused employees to evacuate and hazmat teams to respond to the business at around noon on Tuesday.

According to the Albuquerque Fire Department, a transformer blew and caused a power outage at the building near Sandia Laboratories.

When the back-up generator came on, some sort of gas was released and it set off the “gas alarms’ in the building.

Two students were taken to Christchurch Hospital after an explosion at Canterbury University.

Police, St John and the Fire Service rushed to the University of Canterbury's Rutherford building after reports of a "small explosion" at 12.36pm, a Fire Service spokesman said.

Science vice-chancellor Professor Paul Fleming said a male research student was working in a laboratory on the sixth floor of the Rutherford building when a flask exploded.

"He has some injuries to his hand," he said.

A female student in the lab suffered neck injuries.

A St John spokesman said the two students were taken to Christchurch Hospital with minor injuries.
...
Burford did not know what type of chemical was involved, but there was no risk to people in the area.

ROANOKE, Va. --
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality says a small chemical spill at the Celanese plant in Giles County doesn't appear to be a threat to the New River.

The nonhazardous spill occurred on Thursday night.

DEQ has not received any reports that the material leaked into the nearby New River and no damage to wildlife has been observed.

Linda Beheler, a Dallas-based spokeswoman for Celanese, said Friday that fewer than 5 gallons of fire suppression foam leaked into the plant's rainwater drainage system during a routine safety test.

The foam is considered nonhazardous.

She says the company's internal hazardous

Chandigarh, April 30: At least four workers were killed and 12 others received burn injuries Monday after a chemical factory caught fire in Punjab's industrial town of Lalru, 30 km from here, police said.

The fire started following a blast in a reactor of the factory, a police officer said.

According to police, four bodies have been recovered so far from the factory.

At least 12 workers, who had received burn injuries, were rushed to nearby hospitals. The seriously injured ones were referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital in Chandigarh's Sector 32, the officer added.

Fire tenders arrived from the industrial town of Derabassi and other places, but it took some time to control the fire, police said.

GREER, S.C. --
A delivery truck driver in Greer was taken to the hospital after a package on the truck was leaking liquid.

The Greer Fire Department says the driver was overcome with fumes.

After investigating, Hazmat crews found the package contained a basic cleaning solven for paint.

The driver is out of the hospital and is reported to be fine.

Greer fire and police officials, as well as the Greenville Hazmat Team, were called to where the UPS truck was on Aaron Tippin Drive Thursday morning.

The Manhattan Fire Department responded Wednesday at approximately 11 a.m. to reports of a small lab fire in Ward Hall at Kansas State University.
Officials said a chemical caught fire in one of the building's labs, but that lab workers had extinguished it before firefighters arrived. At press time, officials said they were unsure how the fire started. 

OSAKA, April 22 (Xinhua) -- One people was killed and 11 others were injured when an explosion rocked a chemical plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture in southwestern Japan early Sunday, local press reported.

The explosion occurred at around 2:00 a.m. local time at a plant belonging to leading Japanese company Mitsui Chemicals , killing a 22-year-old worker and injuring 11 other workers at the site.

Glasses of windows of some 100 houses near the plant were broken due to the explosion, the report said, adding that firefighters are still trying to extinguish the fire caused by the blast

CLARK COUNTY -- HAZMAT crews are cleaning up after a major fire at a fuel storage facility in Pike Township.

Investigators say the fire started with an explosion during a fuel transfer from a truck. The cause of that explosion is not yet known.

Some nearby houses were evacuated while fire fighters battled the flames, and other residents were advised to remain in their homes because of heavy smoke. All restrictions were lifted by Thursday evening.

La Salle Fire Department was called to the Carus Chemical plant inLa Salle at about 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.

“They were unloading a product and there was an issue with a hose,” said fire chief Andy Bacidore. “Some of it fell on some combustibles and started smoldering.”

The chief estimated a small section of roof, about one square foot, was smoldering when firefighters arrived.

“We just needed to make sure there wasn’t any fire in the hose they were using to fill, and that there wasn’t anything burning in the truck,” Bacidore said.

Firefighters doused the small area and peeled back part of the roof to make sure nothing was burning underneath.

Peru firefighters also responded, through the departments’ auto aid agreement. Firefighters cleared the scene at about 3:20 p.m.

Colorado Springs Police were treated for chemical exposure after they investigated a burglary in north Colorado Springs Tuesday night.

According to police, officers were called to 4502 Misty Drive to investigate a burglary about 11 p.m., but when they arrived they began to suffer from burning, itchy eyes.

When they stepped out of the home, they continued to have symptoms and had headaches and burning throats. The Colorado Springs hazardous materials team investigated, and discovered that the homeowner had been using chemicals to refine silver and the officers had been exposed. The officers were treated by paramedics and their symptoms quickly faded.

AMARILLO, TEXAS -- A massive fire at a warehouse in East Amarillo caused smoke to dominate the Amarillo skyline Tuesday evening.

The blaze is now under control, according to fire officials. Fortunately no injuries were reported.

At least two explosions were reported.

The location is near the area of 30th and Pierce, just off Interstate 27 where the railroad tracks run next to Llano Cemetery. The building that is engulfed is Courtesy Sign Company.

Traffic in the immediate area was stopped by officials and a house near the building was evacuated as a precaution.

The Amarillo Office of Emergency Management requested that citizens avoid the area because it is a biohazard and they believe some type of chemical was in the building. The fire burned extremely hot and quick, fire officials said.

PEMBERTON TWP., N.J. - April 16, 2012 (WPVI) -- Nine people, including police and EMTs, were sickened during a hazmat investigation in Burlington County.

The incident took place shortly after 8:00 p.m. along the 400 block of Cherokee Drive in Pemberton Township.

Fire crews responded for the report of a foul odor making residents sick.

Fire and hazmat crews set up a decontamination station.
During the investigation, those sickened were rushed to Deborah Hospital in Browns Mills and Virtua Hospital in Mount Holly.

None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening.

All are expected to be treated and released.

Police say the cause of the odor appears to be household chemicals that had been mixed together.

It's not clear if anyone will be cited in connection with the incident.

Six people were killed in two different accidents, including an explosion that brought down a four-storey building in southern China today.

Five people were killed and four others seriously injured when a building collapsed, after an explosion in a nearby garage in east China's Fujian Province.

Rescuers are searching the debris for survivors.

The accident was triggered by an explosion that ripped through a garage and toppled a four-storey building in Daji Village of Longyan City.

The building was a residential complex owned by Shubang Coal Mine.

MAPLETON —
A fire Friday night at a chemical manufacturer sent three firefighters to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

Timber Hollis Fire Chief Guadalupe Arteaga said firefighters were dispatched a little after 8 p.m. on reports of a medium-sized fire at Lonza Inc. Within 30 minutes, Arteaga said firefighters were able to get the fire under control with the help of fire brigade personnel from Lonza’s emergency response team.

Two firefighters from Timber Hollis and one member of Lonza’s team were transported by ambulance to a local hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Units from the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department and Glasford Police Department were on scene to assist in the event that traffic had to be shut down on Route 24, but no hazardous materials or other airborne agents were released into the air as a result of the fire.

Sparks from a burn barrel ignited a fire at a warehouse at Graham Dairy Supply in Hempfield on Saturday morning.

Dennis Graham, who owns the company that his father started in 1941, said he was burning trash in a barrel behind his warehouse at 1581 Business Route 66 when sparks flew and caused nearby plastic containers to catch fire. Within minutes, the fire spread to the large warehouse, he said. A call was placed to emergency dispatch at about 10:30 a.m.

Fire officials at the scene said there were no reported injuries.

Black smoke billowed from the brown metal warehouse, and the smell of burning plastic filled the air as firefighters from at least nine departments doused the blaze from ladders extended above the building from nearby fire engines.

No one was in the warehouse at the time, and the fire did not spread to an adjacent office, Graham said.

He did not have an estimate of damages, but said the warehouse contained five antique tractors, plastic containers and products he sells to dairy farmers, such as cleaning supplies, iodine, wash cloths and milk filters.

Jim Barkley, who lives about a quarter mile from the supply company, said he heard two explosions and the ground shook when the fire began.

"I sat up and looked out my window and there was a big cloud of smoke," Barkley said.

Activity at the fire scene shut down a stretch of Route 66 north of Greensburg for several hours. It took firefighters more than five hours to clear the scene.

Two white inflatable medic tents were set up for firefighters to rehydrate and to allow medics to check firefighters' vital signs and later rinse any chemical residue from clothes and equipment, said Edgar Grant, manager of Penn Township Ambulance.

Almost 1 000 employees fled their offices in the Randburg CBD this morning after gas leaked into the ventilation system at their work premises.

JDG Trading, based in Kent Avenue, was in chaos as employees were evacuated. Five were seriously injured from gas inhalation.

Netcare spokesman Jeff Wicks said a mid-morning emergency call was made from the building after staff complained of tickling throats and difficulty breathing.

Paramedics and hazard material (hazmat) teams rushed to the scene.

Eight people received treatment at the scene. Five were in respiratory distress. The eight were quickly moved to a medical station set up further away from the noxious gases.

By 11am the five were stable.

Hazmat teams were still trying to find the source of the leak about 11am. Paramedics were unable to confirm what type of gas had leaked.

Ontario fire and police departments have responded to a hazardous material call at a business complex in the 200 block of Milliken Avenue.
About 30 personnel from Ontario police and fire, hazmat and San Bernardino County hazardous material team are on scene and have evacuated the business. No injuries have been reported.

Shortly before 1:30 p.m. fire officials said they would be detonating the control material in the next half hour. While the explosion will cause a loud noise, officials said there was no danger to the surrounding areas.

Ontario fire officials are still trying to determine the composition of the materials, said Jacob Green with Ontario Fire Department.

Green said fire officials also still don't have details about the materials used by the business.

Businesses in the area reported receiving automated messages from the Fire Department informing them of the activity.

Hazmat crews responded to reports of possible hazardous materials at a building in Carlsbad Wednesday afternoon.

According to Carlsbad Fire, they received a call around 3:10 p.m. about a possible combination of dangerous chemicals at a building on 3305 Tyler St. The building once housed K & K Laboratories, a vitamin factory that closed down about two years ago, according to authorities.

Carlsbad Fire said a cleaning company had been cleaning out old products in the building when an unknown solid and liquid accidentally combined, causing a violent reaction that sparked heat.

Police said there were around 10 people in the building at the time of the incident. The people inside evacuated the building and called 9-1-1.

No injuries have been reported, but it is still unclear if someone physically came into contact with the potentially harmful chemicals that combined.

KARACHI: Ceiling of a chemical tank of a private company was blown off near oil installations in Keamari area on Tuesday evening, causing panic in nearby areas, KPT Fire Station sources said.

A fire extinguishing officer said excessive gas in the chemical tank of Home Protect International Company (HPI) located on Plot No 45 near PSO terminal-C, generated the huge blast.

The resultant spill of chemical caused an inferno and spread chaos in the nearby areas, he said and added that fire tenders controlled the fire by using foam.

He said no one was injured in the incident.

MANCHESTER — A man suffered second- and third-degree burns in an explosion that occurred about 1:15 p.m. today while he was attempting to saw an old fuel tank in half.

The man, identified as Edward Bishop, 33, of Oakland, was using a gas-powered saw to make the cut, according to a neighbor.

“It ignited the fumes or fuel inside it,” said Manchester Fire Chief Clarence “Bug” Cram.

Cram said Bishop, who had burns on his face and arms, was taken by ambulance and then transferred to a LifeFlight helicopter to finish the trip to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston.

The science building at Gordon College was evacuated for a time on Friday morning after a chemical vapor was released for an air-conditioning unit that was being repaired.

Luckily, the Ken Olsen Science Center was mostly empty since classes were not in session on Good Friday and there were fewer students and staff in the building that on a typical Friday,

“There were very few students in the building,” said Wenham Fire Chief Bob Blanchard.

The repairman was working on the AC unit in a service room on the lower level of the building.

“It released a mist and set the detectors off,” Blanchard said.

The repairman quickly shut down the equipment, he said.

Initially, there was concern because it was not clear what the substance was before firefighters checked the air quality in the building.

“Everything turned out OK,” Blanchard said, adding that firefighters ventilated the building.

Related Topics: Air Conditioning, Gordon College, Ken Olsen Science Center, and wenham fire department
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SPILLED chemicals sparked a response from firefighters.

After a dog walker spotted a blue liquid on a track near Plump Hill in the Forest of Dean, police alerted Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service at 11am on Friday morning.

Two fire crews from Cinderford station using breathing apparatus attempted to identify the spilt chemical.

It was found that the chemical urea had been previously used at the scene by the Forestry Commision to mark out tree stumps.

The crews made the area safe and left the incident in the hands of the Forestry Commission.

NOKESVILLE, Va. (WUSA) - A hazardous materials incident has left one person hospitalized, according to InsideNoVa.

The incident took place at an auto repair shop in Nokesville on Monday afternoon. Emergency crews responded to the scene, and a spokesperson said there is an odor coming from a service bay at the auto shop in the 12800 block of Fitzwater Drive.

Crews douse Lakeland blaze
Updated: Tuesday, 03 Apr 2012, 5:47 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 03 Apr 2012, 5:47 PM EDT

LAKELAND - A fire in Polk County sent black smoke billowing into the air this afternoon before firefighters got the flames under control.

FIRE crews attended a fire at a Netherton laboratory yesterday.

Crews from Tipton, Cradley Heath and Smethwick attended the fire in the first floor lab at Exova UK Ltd in Halesowen Road, shortly before 5.30pm.

The fire had broken out inside the ventilation extraction unit, with 10 per cent of the two-storey building engulfed in flames.

Firefighters wore chemical protection suits and gloves to put out the flames because of the presence of laboratory gases.

Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service and Environmental officers were also in attendance at the premises, which is one of the world’s leading laboratories in the testing of pipeline materials for the oil and gas industry.

LONDON, UK – An explosion at a chemical plant in Germany killed at least one person and left two others injured Saturday.

Police spokeswoman Ramona told Bloomberg that a tank exploded at the Evonik Degussa plant in the western city of Marl and started a blaze, which about 100 firefighters managed to bring under control.

The injured man was flown to hospital, while a third person suffered only light injuries and was discharged earlier today.

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Marl, a city of 87,000 in the Ruhr industrial heartland, is an important chemical industry hub. Its chemical park is among Europe’s biggest, with 30 firms employing about 10,000 workers producing more than 4,000 products.

The blast – whose cause was not immediately known – was triggered in a tank containing substances used in the production of plastic parts in the auto industry, as well as in electronics and cosmetics, an industry spokesman told the Agence France Presse.

NEWARK -- Alameda County fire personnel, including a hazardous materials team, responded to a report of an explosion at an oil recycling facility in Newark Thursday night, an Alameda County fire battalion chief said.
A 55-gallon drum at Evergreen Oil Inc., located at 6880 Smith Ave., was off-gassing some type of smoke when firefighters arrived at 10:41 p.m., according to Alameda County fire Battalion Chief Kris Kerstetter.
Kerstetter said the oil drum that was gassing posed no danger to the public and no shelter-in-place order was given. None of the product made it into any storm drains or out of the facility.
Seventeen fire personnel arrived at the scene to work with plant staff. Six people from the haz-mat team responded.
Crews determined only one drum that contained some sort of paint product was off-gassing, while six other drums holding other products were sitting at a warmer than usual temperature, according to Kerstetter.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (Exponent) -

The Purdue fire department responded to a chemical spill that occurred just after 9 p.m. Tuesday night at the Wetherill Hall of Chemistry.

Kevin Ply, chief of the Purdue Fire Department, said the chemical was "water-reactive."

"We had a spill in one of the labs," Ply said. "For precautionary purposes we evacuated the fourth floor."

You can read the rest of this story at the Purdue Exponent website .

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno Fire Department, along with hazardous materials crews, responded to a small chemical spill at an anodizing company in Central Fresno.

The incident happened just after 3 a.m. Thursday morning at Pacific Coast Anodizing on Pine near West -- just south of McKinley Avenue. Firefighters say a heater caused some chemicals to overheat causing two fire sprinklers to turn on.

Hazmat crews worked with the fire department to make sure there no other leaks or spills of hazardous materials.

NOBLE COUNTY, Ind. (WANE/AP) - UPDATE:  Norfolk Southern has brought in specialists to evaluate the train derailment near Ligonier.  Crews will now smother the burning train cars with clean soil.  Once it's completely out, they'll dispose of the dirt and remove the cars.  They say this will help control the chemical so it doesn't leak into the air or nearby river.

In 1912, Masten Park High School in Buffalo was totally destroyed by fire in the afternoon. All the pupils responded to the fire drill signal sounded by Principal Frank S. Fosdick immediately after the discovery of the fire and escaped. The boys and girls marched out of the building without a trace of confusion. As the last line of children was leaving, falling bricks which came down from the roof hit several of the pupils and the mother of Janitor Funk. They were taken to the General Hospital. The fire was caused by an explosion of chemicals in a laboratory on the fourth floor. Prin. Fosdick displayed great heroism as he made three trips into the burning building to rescue pupils he thought still inside. On his third trip out of the burning building he was stuck by a falling timber and hurt although it was said his condition was not serious.

LIFE returned to normal for hundreds of Derbyshire residents on Saturday after smoke from a chemical fire had prompted expert advice to stay indoors.

The fire broke out in a container of calcium oxide – more commonly known as quick lime – at a factory in Kirkby-in-Ashfield at 5.20pm on Friday and smoke spread across the border during the evening.

Derbyshire police warned people in Amber Valley, including Ripley, Alfreton, South Normanton, Codnor, Heanor and Pinxton to keep doors and windows closed as a precaution.

At the height of the blaze, the M1 in both directions between junction 26 and 28, was closed due to visibility problems and health risks.

A Derbyshire police spokesman said: "Nottinghamshire police and the fire service said we could stand down from the incident by 4.20am on Saturday. We were advised the smoke could cause skin irritation, although the risk was 'very low'."

A major fire broke out in a chemical storage unit, that was illegally set up in a residential complex, at Subashnagar in Jeedimetla. The incident spread panic for around four hours on Monday morning. Six families residing in two apartments nearby were evacuated. No casualties were reported.

The fire spread to the nearby paper packaging godown which was located on the ground floor of the adjacent residential apartment. It took almost five hours for fire personnel to bring the blaze under control. Four fire tenders were used for the operation. Officials said the fire control room received a call at 7.45 am and immediately a fire tender from Jeedimetla fire station rushed to the spot and started operations. Later, two more fire tenders from the Sanathnagar fire station and Patanhceru fire station joined the operations.

As the barrels kept with chemicals exploded, several vehicles, including a vehicle that was parked outside the apartment, got damaged. There were about 20 to 30 explosions, according to eye witnesses. The entire building developed cracks. The chemical storage unit was set up by one Devram Choudary on the ground floor of the building. He and his family stayed on the first floor and the second floor was vacant.

Immediately after the blast, he and his family fled, eyewitnesses said. The blaze spread to the nearby building and paper kept in the Laqshya Packaging Solutions godown on the ground floor was completely gutted. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Mr Ram, who stays nearby, said he woke up hearing a blast at about 7.30 am. About 20 to 30 blasts were heard. Immediately somebody alerted the fire control room about the accident. Ms Raja Kumari, who stays above the packaging unit, was seen crying at the

An industrial explosion at a ceramics supply business left one man in critical condition Saturday, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said.

The blast occurred shortly after 1 p.m. at Laguna Clay, located at 14400 Lomitas Ave. in the City of Industry, where a worker had been handling an unknown, non-hazardous chemical, said Lt. Kimberly Unland.

That chemical ignited another material that the employee was working with, she said.

The fire was extinguished immediately and the injured worker was transported to a nearby hospital, she said. The sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail was sent to the scene.

MUMBAI: Seven persons including three foreign crew were injured when a fire broke out following an explosion on board a Korean chemical freighter at Mumbai harbour today.

Two of the injured are reported to be serious, Mumbai Port Trust officials said.

"At 11.25 am, the Korean owned 9500 DWT chemical tanker Royal Diamond 7 reported to the Mumbai port's vessel traffic system/control station that an explosion had occurred and three crew members have been injured," an MPT press statement said.

SPARTA -- Sussex County Technical School will remain closed through Thursday, as the school continues to clean up from a fire that started last Wednesday night in a science lab.

The school is tentatively scheduled to reopen on Friday.

The fire, which was caused by a chemical reaction in a 30-gallon garbage can, has forced the district to close for at least six days and will lead to the relocation of eight classrooms and several lockers for the remainder of the school year, according to Interim Superintendent Anthony Macerino.

"Clean-up has commenced and is proceeding well," Macerino said on Monday. "As with any fire or emergency facility situation, air quality tests have been completed."

Toll Tasmania has taken back control of its transport yard on Hobart's waterfront after a $1 million fire this morning.

The blaze broke out in a warehouse, igniting shipping containers filled with chemicals and foam.

Toxic fumes forced the evacuation of more than six-hundred people.

Some workers were treated at the scene after inhaling the potentially toxic fumes.

The blaze engulfed a shed, several chemical-filled shipping containers and two forklifts.

The Fire Service estimates the blaze has caused $1.2 million damage.

Fire officer Stuart Males says the fire was started by a worker who was using a heat torch near pallets wrapped in plastic.

"It would appear that they used heat perhaps in the form of a blow torch type thing to actually undertake the shrinking process of the packaging," he said.

"Somehow that has caused a spark to ignite some of the material that was being packed."

DANVERS — The explosions that woke those in Ann Marie Ruotolo's house on Bates Street early Saturday morning turned out to be tires popping on two burning box trucks parked at Harvey Industries on nearby Water Street.
...
The explosions could be heard in neighboring Peabody, Ruotolo said.

"I heard two big ones and a few littler ones," said police Sgt. Robert Bettencourt, who lives in Peabody not far from Danversport.

The burning trucks were parked in front of the building products warehouse at 125 Water St., and the fire was reported at 5:01 a.m., Bettencourt said. The trucks were parked in front of the building just off Water Street, which is behind the headquarters of the Pelletier and Milbury Corp. construction company.

The fire appears to have started in a portable forklift mounted at the back of one of the box trucks.

The emergency department at Newcastle's Mater Hospital had to be evacuated overnight after a man who had ingested a dangerous chemical was brought in.
Police say the 32 year old man had swallowed the chemical in the science laboratories at Newcastle University.
Concerns were raised about the volatility of the chemical and the Fire Brigade's Hazmat unit was called in.
Police Inspector Michael Gorman says a number of people who were in contact with the patient had to be decontaminated.
"Police and Hazmat and fire brigade attended the emergency department at the Mater Hospital," he said.
"They took steps to isolate the patient, close the emergency department to any more incoming patients and a partial evacuation of the emergency department as carried out until such time as Hazmat was satisfied that the area was safe.
The emergency department was re-opened just after 2 am (AEST) this morning.
Inspector Gorman says the area was decontaminated before being re-opened.
"The toxicologist was brought in both to treat the male patient but also to liaise with the HAZMAT staff in terms of the air quality and any possible contamination to any persons who had come into contact with the male during the course of the evening," he said.
"After those discussions the all clear was given, the area was decontaminated and the emergency department re-opened at approximately 2am."
The 32 year old man died early this morning.

A chemical tanker caught fire on Saturday at 11.30 am following an explosion that occurred at the deck of the tanker. The Royal Diamond 7 was berthed at New Pir Pau berth, a chemical jetty belonging to the Mumbai Port Trust, to discharge a consignment of 2,000 tonnes of Toulene imported by Aegis Chemicals Ltd. The Marshal Island Flag Korean that owns the tanker from Singapore had berthed in the jetty on Saturday.

After completing cargo discharge operations, it was carrying out the stripping move for sailing out when the fire erupted. The Port Fire Service personnel put its fire fighting systems into operation to douse the flames. Three crew-members of the vessel got injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital. "The vessel is set to be removed from the jetty to a safer location in the harbour shortly," said Chief PRO VR Joglekar.

ILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) -- A scare at a Wilmington business this morning. Jugs of liquid found in a shipping container led to an evacuation, while police, US Customs and even Homeland Security got involved.
...
"We started looking at the manifest bill of lading. This particular container was not listed on the bill of lading on the manifest, and we became concerned, and obviously US Customs became concerned as well," Wilmington Fire Department Battalion Chief Jimmy Casteen said.

The hazmat team was able to remove a sample of the liquid from the jugs, which they tested on site to determine what exactly was in them. Turns out, it's not a threat. The liquid appears to be a type of finishing product used on wicker furniture. The fire department says it likely was locked up accidentally in the shipping container in Indonesia and shipped overseas.

SPARTA — Sussex County Technical School was closed Thursday and will remain closed today after a Wednesday night fire that severely damaged a science classroom, police said.

The township Police Communications Center received a fire alarm from the high school at 8:35 p.m., according to a news release from the police department, which said the alarm was activated by smoke detectors.

Heavy smoke
A janitor reported a heavy smoke condition on the second floor of the building as Sparta firefighters arrived at 8:40 p.m. and entered the building.

On the second floor, a biology, chemistry, environmental lab was filled with thick smoke and flames coming from the base of one of the work tables, police said.

The fire quickly was extinguished and the classroom was ventilated though it sustained heavy fire, smoke and water damage. An adjoining classroom also sustained heavy smoke and water damage, police said.

There were no injuries reported.

The cause of the fire was determined to be “nonsuspicious” after an investigation was conducted by the State Police Arson Unit, Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, Sparta Detective Terrence Mulligan and Sussex County Fire Marshal Michael Alvarez.

Source of fire
The fire appears to have started in a plastic garbage can after a chemical reaction occurred inside the container, police said.

The specific types of chemicals involved in the fire still are being determined, but it appeared that some accidentally were discarded in the can. Those chemicals have the potential to be volatile when mixed.

BEND, Ore. -- A federal-state hazardous material team was wrapping up identification, packaging and clean-up work Thursday at a southeast Bend recycling business that unknowingly bought hundreds of unlabeled chemicals someone improperly left stored at a nearby mini-storage business, officials said.
Pakit Liquidators at 903 SE Armour St. contacted authorities when the chemicals, apparently from an old research lab of some sort, were found among items the firm bought when Clark’s Storage, a Ninth Street mini-storage business, sold off the items in two storage units whose leases expired due to unpaid rent, said Brian Allen, a hazardous waste compliance inspector with the state Department of Environment Quality in Bend.
"They brought the equipment, books, everything over to their site," Allen said. The Pakit workers began going through the materials on Sunday, March 4 and “noticed they had acquired some chemicals,” so they contacted Bend police, who in turn put them in touch with the Oregon Emergency Response System, Allen said.

Holes in the floor of James Weir large enough for people to fall through and flames stretching a full 30 metres along each side of the building were just a few of the lasting sights of last month's blaze at Strathclyde University.

The campus blaze tore through the six-storey structure on Montrose Street for almost five hours before being extinguished with the building now, only four weeks on, back to the slimmest semblance of normality.

In an exclusive interview with The Journal a week on from the fire, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Deputy Assistant Chief Officer, Jim Doyle, who was in command of the incident, revealed the situation threatened to spiral out of control as crisis levels were raised and more firefighters called in to keep a handle on the blaze.

UPDATE AT 1:37 p.m.: According to Louise Maxwell of Seattle Children’s hospital, a small amount of fluid leaked from equipment used to develop X-ray film at the dental clinic at Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic. One staff member is currently under observation for a reaction to the fumes. All patients, their families and other staff are safe, Maxwell said.

The fluid presents no further health risks, she said.

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: The Seattle Fire Department has determined the Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic is safe to reoccupy. One adult patient was taken to Harborview with eye irritation and body aches, according to department spokesman Kyle Moore.

According to Bushkill Township Police, the day's events began around 3:13 p.m. when Dean A. Tomsic, 51, crashed his Harley-Davidson motorcycle near the intersection of Old Allentown and Male roads.

When police arrived, according to a press release, the motorcycle was on the side of the road, and Tomsic had been taken back to his home on Old Allentown Road.

When police and Bushkill Township EMS found Tomsic, they discovered that he was injured in the crash.

As Tomsic was placed in the ambulance, the emergency medical technicians (EMTs) detected a strong “chemical type” odor. Officials from the Bushkill Township Volunteer Fire Company then requested a Haz-Mat response for decontamination of Tomsic before he was transported to the hospital.

Two EMTs felt symptomatic from being exposed to the chemical, according to police. Tomsic and the two EMTs were decontaminated by members of the Lehigh County Haz-Mat Response Team and transported to local hospitals for observation.

Haz-Mat officials then checked inside Tomsic's home for possible contamination or exposure and found the home to be safe.

March 7 (Reuters) - A small fire broke that out early Wednesday morning at Tesoro Corp's 166,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Martinez, California, refinery was quickly extinguished as the facility continued the restart of production units after a two-month overhaul, company and public officials said.

The small fire on a unit broke out shortly before midnight Pacific time (0800 GMT), a Tesoro spokeswoman said in a statement.

"The fire was immediately extinguished," said Tesoro spokeswoman Tina Barbee. "There were no injuries and no damage to equipment. This event did not have any impact on our ability to meet regional contractual product supply commitments."

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Patterson Street is now open after being closed from South Holden Road to High Point Road due to a spill at a chemical plant.
The Greensboro Fire Department responded to Ecoflo at 2750 Patterson St. around 6:15 a.m., according to police.
A vapor cloud was released during overnight tests at Ecoflo, according to Guilford Co. Emergency Management Coordinator Don Campbell. Campbell said the vapor cloud is not a danger to the public.

Akron fire crews had pour water on an empty tank that exploded Tuesday afternoon at a chemical facility near the Goodyear complex in East Akron.

The clean up at Eliokem, owned by Omnova Solutions, was completed and traffic to the area resumed by late afternoon, Akron police Capt. Sylvia Trundle said.

Akron Fire Battalion Chief Dennis Stoneman said workers were welding around a tank that once contained a form of methylstyrene when two “flash explosions” occurred about 1 p.m.

The explosions sent workers scurrying for safety and scores of Akron firefighters rushing to the scene off Kelly Avenue. Stoneman said no one was hurt.

Austin fire emergency crews have cleared the scene of a hazardous material call at Welch Hall on the University of Texas campus after nothing was found at the scene, said Battalion Chief Thayer Smith.
Earlier:
Austin emergency workers have responded to a hazardous-materials call at Welch Hall on the University of Texas campus this afternoon, Austin fire and school officials said.
Emergency medical service workers initially responded around noon to a call of a University of Texas police officer who had fallen ill while checking on an alarm in a tunnel below Welch Hall, said UT spokeswoman Rhonda Weldon.
Now, that call has been upgraded to a hazardous0material call as Austin fire workers look to check the air quality in the tunnel area and whether it may have triggered the officer to fall ill, Weldon and an Austin fire official said.

SATARA: A massive fire broke out at a chemical factory in the Wai industrial estate in Satara district at 1 am on Sunday wherein one employee of the company sustained severe burns.

Four fire tenders from Satara fire brigade and Kisanveer sugar factory managed to control the fire after four hours. It took more than 10 hours for the fire to be completely doused, because of the chemicals in the unit. Meanwhile, employees of neighbouring companies also rushed to the spot to help control the fire.

Shift in-charge Ramesh Borate (40) of Karad sustained severe burns and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Satara.

The Wai police said that during processing, a chemical tank began to overflow. Borate tried to stop the chemical from overflowing when the fire broke out and a small blast also took place. The workers present stopped the chemical supply to the tank and rushed down the stairs.

Abbotsford police and firefighters were called to the Fraser Valley Inn early this morning after staff reported a strong chemical smell in parts of the building.

The problem was a leak in the heating, air conditioning and ventilation unit, said acting Sgt. Kim Jones of the Abbotsford police. Fire officials stayed onsite until a refrigeration company had the leak repaired.

There were reports that two people were taken to hospital and two drove themselves to hospital, but Jones said she was not able to confirm those details.

NORTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, Fla. (WSVN) -- Fire Recue and Hazmat crews responded to a building that caused two employees to feel ill.

Officials said employees were forced out of a uniform business after gas took over the building near Northwest 27th Avenue and 60th Street, Friday morning.

Crews treated two people on the scene, while Hazmat crews searched for the source of the gas.

BELLEVUE, Tenn.- A stretch of McCrory Lane in Bellevue was shut down Thursday afternoon as crews worked to remove deteriorating chemicals from a business.

Hazmat crews were called out to help the business remove chemicals from their building. Police said the business at 8337 McCrory Lane houses chemicals. The company had deteriorating chemicals they requested Metro's Bomb Squad's assistance in removing the items.

No injuries were reported, but due to the volatile nature of the chemicals McCrory lane was shut down as a precaution.

An early morning fire at Welch Hall on the University of Texas campus caused an estimated $15,000 in damage, school officials said this afternoon.
Austin fire and other emergency officials responded to the incident around 4 a.m. at the building that houses the university’s chemistry and biology departments.
The fire occurred in a refrigerator in a chemistry and biology lab on the fourth floor of Welch Hall, university officials said. The fire set off an alarm and sprinkler system, which extinguished the fire.
“The details of the cause are still under investigation,” the university said in a statement.
The damage was water-related, officials said.
“The University of Texas at Austin is committed to the highest standards for lab safety,” Dennis Nolan, assistant director for biological and lab safety, said in a statement. “The department of Environmental Health and Safety works closely with the 1,400 research and teaching labs on campus. In the wake of national laboratory incidents at UCLA and Texas Tech, the university has made a number of improvements to its laboratory safety program over the last two years.”
The morning incident was a reminder of past emergency calls that plagued the building in the 1990s.
In the last 10 years, however, emergency responders have seen a dramatic improvement with fewer such incidents at Welch Hall, said Battalion Chief Palmer Buck. Buck said the department has not responded to a hazardous call to the building in more than two years.
In 2009, the Austin fire department responded to two similar hazardous-material incidents, he said.
Welch Hall saw a $30 million renovation in the late 1990s that included the installment of new fire alarm and sprinkler systems after a six-alarm fire gutted a lab and damaged two others.
A state auditor’s report had been critical of the school’s progress in enforcing lab safety prior to the fire. Since that time, city officials have said improvements at Welch Hall have been substantial.

A chemical storage refrigerator may have caused a fire on the fourth floor of Welch Hall’s west wing Thursday morning, officials said.

The fire started at about 4 a.m. and caused minimal damage. The UT Police Department and Austin Fire Department arrived at the scene where the investigators ruled the cause of the fire to be undetermined at the time, said Garland Waldrop, UT fire marshal. Fire officials are still investigating the exact source of the fire.

“There was a minimal amount of fire damage because the fire sprinklers in the lab contained the flames in the one room, but we had to remove the water from the sprinklers that ran down from the fourth floor to the basement,” Waldrop said.

The fourth floor of the west wing was closed off to students Thursday in order to repair the water damage, but will be accessible again on Friday. False alarm sirens alerted those in and around the building throughout the day, but did not signal danger.

Dennis Nolan, assistant director of biological and lab safety, said investigators do not know if it was the refrigerator that caused the fire or the chemicals inside it.

“From what I can tell, it doesn’t look like the refrigerator [alone] caused the fire, but it is still not conclusive,” Nolan said. “All labs in the building were notified of what the best practices are in order to prevent this from happening again.”