subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Feb 09 2010 

Published: November 25, 2009 11:11 pm    print this story  

CITY OF TONAWANDA: Chemical fire guts building

By Daniel Pye
E-mail Dan

The Tonawanda News

A fire early Wednesday morning did severe damage to a Wales Avenue business.

At around 1:30 a.m. a City of Tonawanda police officer noticed smoke and flames coming from The Environmental Service Group’s building during a nightly check of the area, said Fire Chief Charles Stuart.

“When we got inside there was a lot of heat, a lot of fire,” Stuart said.

The warehouse where the fire started stores various types of hazardous waste, and firefighters had to force their way into the structure. As crews began spraying water into a Dumpster they believe to have been the source of the blaze, it exploded.

“It knocked some guys down and sprayed molten metal through the general area,” Stuart said.

The chief suspects a mixture of magnesium oxide and other chemicals inside the Dumpster caused the reaction, but no one was injured in the explosion. Once the fire was put out, the Department of Public Works pulled the Dumpster out of the building because the metals were continuing to react with the water inside.

A HazMat team from the Town of Tonawanda also responded due to the nature of the facility, and firefighters informed the Department of Environmental Conservation as a precaution in case there was any hazardous runoff.

Stuart said the main body of the fire was contained quickly, but since it had spread to the roof the operation took several hours to properly contain and extinguish it. He said $200,000 is an early estimate of the damage, adding that it could grow after further inspection. The cause of the blaze is still undetermined.

“It’s under investigation at this time, but it will be expensive,” Stuart said.

Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.

print this story  



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Featured Jobs

Certified Pharmacy Technician & Certified Medication Technician
Certified Pharmacy Tech’s, Certified
Medication Tech’s & PCA’s Competitive wages. Call Lisa McKensie Ransomville
...>MORE

MST Therapist
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
    
...>MORE

Cashiers
CASHIERS 
Looking for dependable people with great customer service skills to work in APlus Convenience store in Le
...>MORE

Quality Control
QUALITY control, earn up to $100 per day, evaluate retail stores, training provided, no exp. req’d, call 1-888-702-9018...>MORE

Assembly
NF Co. seeking the
following:
• Packaging
• Assembly (small
detailed parts)
• Sorters
...>MORE

Maintenance Person
Maintenance Person FT Call Gary Carpenter at
716-791-4211 or stop by and fill our application at:
Ransomville
...>MORE

Counselor
COUNSELOR, PART-TIME: NIAGARA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE is seeking a part-time counselor in student services to work in t...>MORE

Medical Associate
MEDICAL ASSOCIATE
Busy local Niagara Falls practice, strong computer skills, billing background helpful, $13-$14/ho
...>MORE

Director of Laboratory Services

DIRECTOR OF
LABORATORY SERVICES

Mount St. Mary's Hospital is offering an
excellent op
...>MORE

TOOL GRINDER & WIRE EDM OPERATOR
Tool Grinder-exp. w/contours & blades,Wire EDM Operator-5 yrs exp., 3rd shift. Pivot Punch Corp., resumes: jobs@pivotpu...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

1998 Dodge Dakota Sport
DODGE 1998 Dakota Sport 3.9 V6, regular cab, exc in & out, no rust, real sharp, $2750. 523-7102...>MORE

1986 Ford Mustang
FORD 1986 Mustang convertible, 5.0 body kit, 3.8L V6, 40k on new motor, runs but needs work. $700 or BO. 417-1611...>MORE

1993 Chevy Silverado
CHEVY Silverado 4x4 1993 new alt, starter, exhaust, rebuilt trans., etc. Reliable. Call 282-0465....>MORE

Ford 1997 Taurus
FORD 1997 taurus, runs exc. fully loaded, must see $1400 or best offer. 205-7711...>MORE

1999 Chevy Malibu
CHEVY 1999 Malibu, needs fuel pump, $700. 282-6141 or 990-6026....>MORE

Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI
Chrysler 2000 Concord LXI, 4 door, one owner, exc. condition, power windows, power steering, power locks, $5000 or best ...>MORE

Dodge 2001 Neon
DODGE 2001Neon, 4 dr, 4 cyl, auto, 58k mi. am/fm CD player, n o rust, like new, $3950. 525-7796...>MORE

Ford 1999 Escort ZX2
FORD 1999 ESCORT, ZX2 Coupe, runs great, NYS inspected, exc. cond. $1650. 694-0441...>MORE

Pontiac 2000 Grand Prix XL
PONTIAC 2000 Grand Prix XL, black,
good condition
531-2669
...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index