fire firegeezer on 29 Mar 2008 07:42 am
4-Alarms In Mt.Vernon, New York
A MAJOR FIRE AT A CHEMICAL WAREHOUSE IN MT. VERNON, NEW YORK, Friday night generated a precautionary evacuation of the surrounding area.
Journal News/Kennedy photo
The KEM Chemical Corp. headquarters was believed to contain hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, alcohol and acetone among other materials. The 2-story building was gutted and collapsed during the operation. The 4-alarm fire spread to two other buildings in the industrial area before it was brought under control. One fire captain was reported to have been injured with a twisted knee.
Workers and the few residents within a three-to-four-block radius of the building were told to evacuate, and the area was cordoned off, firefighters said. Smoke from the fire blew in the direction of neighboring Pelham, and the department initially advised residents there to remain inside and shut their windows.
In neighboring Pelham, the fire forced an abrupt end to a student production of “Hello, Dolly!” Police came into Pelham Memorial High School auditorium and stopped the play, telling everyone to leave because of the fire, said Pelham schools spokeswoman Angela Cox. “They said it was a precaution. Everybody got out safely,” she said.
Initially, the FD hesitated to apply water directly on the fire because many of the stored chemicals were reactive. Instead they directed the flows onto exposures in an attempt to contain the fire. Eventually however, they had to resort to a deluge attack on the fire building. Bystanders commented on the bright blue, orange and yellow fires in the building.
Air-quality tests and checks for any hazardous material leakage found no dangerous contamination as of early Saturday, according to authorities.
KEM Chemical was established in 1961 and specializes in servicing the microelectronics industry, according to its Web site. It is described as a chemical and laboratory supply distributor of “temperature sensitive and short-life materials.”
“KEM provides custom solutions, mixed acid etches and dilutions in instances where the volumes are too small for the primary manufacturers that KEM represents,” the site says.
The Lower Hudson Journal News has the full STORY.
There is also a 1-minute raw VIDEO.
