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MURRAY — A chemical fire damaged a laboratory of a chemical company Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, around 1 p.m., an employee of Chemtech-Ford arrived to work at 6100 South and Stratler Street in Murray. Upon entering a laboratory of the building, she discovered the room filled with smoke.
The company had been cooking about 8 liters of acid overnight to make bromine. The acid combusted, causing a small chemical fire.
"His cooking appliance he was using to cook these acids to make the final product overheated and I believe it started in the thermostat. It overheated and actually caught the counter top on fire," said Deputy Fire Marshall Russ Groves of the Murray City Fire Department.
She began ventilating the room before she left, alerting her boss and officials to the fire.
Officials reported a couple other people being the building, but they were quickly evacuated. They were uninjured.
Murray Fire Department responded to the blaze. At one point, however, firefighters were called out of the building due to the toxicity of the smoke.
HAZMAT crews were called to assess the situation.
Crews were able to control the fire to the single room. The Chemtech building is located in a small industrial park, and officials said neighbors were not at risk of chemical exposure.
