Hazmat team sent to mill
Firefighters sent to city mill for possible chemical spill
WOONSOCKET – City firefighters knocking down a small suspicious fire at CNC International at 20 Privilege Street Monday evening ran into what appeared to be spilled chemicals on the floor of the old mill building and quickly changed over into at hazardous materials response mode.
Deputy Chief Christopher Oakland, scene commander, said the spilled chemicals set off warning levels on chemical meters carried by firefighters and required department members to fully suit up in protective clothing to continue an investigation of the chemical incident running late into the night.
“The fire did not cause the chemical alarm, it was just upon further investigation that we found what appeared to be cleaning chemicals on the floor of the building,” Oakland said.
The chemicals spilled could not be immediately identified and samples were being collected to assist the hazmat team members in identifying them, Oakland said.
“It appears they are cleaning agents at this time,” Oakland said while noting fire officials were also talking with the owners and employees of the company Kar Kraft, the manufacturer of cleaning agents that operates out of the first floor of the three-story brick mill building.
A second business, Ross Mathews, a manufacturer of bungee cords, is located on the second floor of the CNCowned building, and offices are maintained on the third floor.
A group of three young people, two men and woman, were reported to have been inside the building when the small fire is believed to have started on the second floor, according to police.
The fire is believed to have been caused by a hat being set on fire and that incident was still be investigated by police, Monday night. Police are also investigating allegations that the people entering in the building may also have tipped over the containers of cleaning chemicals causing the hazardous materials spill.
Oakland said Monday night that the clean up of the spill was being slowed by the need to identify the chemicals first so that any potential impacts on personnel would be known.
The state Fire Marshal’s Office had investigators at the scene waiting to enter the building to evaluate the fire that had been extinguished and the state Department of Environmental Management was also on scene to investigate the chemical spill, Oakland said. The North Providence Fire Department Hazmat Team also responded to assist the local department with the operation of a decontamination tent at the scene, Oakland said.