At 0959, Springfield Fire Alarm was notified of a fire in the dust collection system at Advanced Laboratories. The Department had previously responded to small fires at this company involving floor sweepings in a dumpster.
Arriving firefighters went to the second floor and attacked a small fire in the dust collection duct with soda ash (sodium carbonate) as called for in the most recent Fire Department prefire plan (March 1987). The use of soda ash to quench the reaction was reported to be the employee practice at Advanced Laboratories. This procedure was effective so long as no moisture was present. (As noted earlier, soda ash speeds the decomposition reaction in the presence of water.) Flames were noted in the dust collector. In order to reduce the high level of chlorine fumes in the Blending Room area, doors were opened and windows opened or broken out.
At about 1015, the Command Post vehicle arrived and was set up. After surveying the conditions and the spread of chlorine gas odor, orders were given to evacuate the schools in the area. Residents were warned to stay inside with the windows closed and to leave if they smelled chlorine.
The school evacuation was initially carried out in the downwind direction for about half a mile. Schools on the perimeter were also evacuated and the students moved to other schools.
Fire fighting continued employing soda ash and at 1129 hours the fire was out. Hot dust had been removed from the ducts and the dust collector, mixed with soda ash, placed in drums and disposed of in the alley.
The fire and chlorine release were considered under control at 1148. At this time the evacuation order was rescinded. People were allowed to return home and the School Board was notified. The Fire Department remained on the scene until approximately 1515 to 1530. During this time period, the Advanced Laboratories foreman and the employees were engaged in cleaning up the debris and boarding over the windows that had been broken to ventilate the chlorine fumes.
The cause of this first fire was most likely rainwater blowing in under the sliding door at the south end of the building and entering the dust collection duct.
In post-fire interviews with employees, the Fire Department was told that the windows on the east wall in the vicinity of the remix and dust storage were not boarded over. This was reportedly due to the difficulty in reaching the windows over the pallets of TCT drums. It was also reported that in the past, a number of dust and remix drums had split or been broken discharging their contents into inaccessible areas under the pallets where the material could not be cleaned up.
The foreman was reported to have left the building at approximately 1615.
Next » The Second Fire
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