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.
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