Firefighters are battling a massive fire at a chemical warehouse in Butler County.
The fire began around 1 a.m. at a Mar-Flex Systems, Inc. warehouse at 6866 Chrisman Lane in Madison Township.
Firefighters arrived and found flames shooting from the building. A hazmat crew from Middletown advised fire officials to let the fire burn itself out, which could take several days.
According to fire officials, their main concern is the risk that smoke drifting from the burning warehouse could have on residents who live nearby.
Around 9:30 a.m., a third alarm was sounded, prompting a foam unit to be called to the scene.
Mar-Flex is a waterproofing company. Company officials said there are at least a dozen different chemicals inside the warehouse. The chemicals mixed with the fire are creating huge smoke clouds that could be hazardous to breathe.
The Madison Township Fire Chief Kent Hall is warning residents with severe respiratory problems living in northern Butler County, Warren County and southern Montgomery County to stay inside.
Hall said his crews, which were helped by firefighters from nine other nearby departments, stopped actively fighting the fire about 30 to 60 minutes after arriving.
First, there were several explosions which made him decide to evacuate everyone out of the building for safety. Second, the advice of hazmat crews from Middletown was to let the fire burn since many of the chemicals inside the building do not mix well with water, raising the possibility of even more air pollution.
Hall said, "We're just sitting around. It's hard, it's not what a firefighter wants to do. We want to get in there, jump into action, put the fire out."
The warehouse measures approximately 800 feet by 1000 feet. Several of the building's walls collapsed and firefighters believe that the warehouse's structural integrity has been compromised and that the building will have to come down.
Investigators from the State Fire Marshal's office are coming in to assist Madison Township investigators. Right now, all they'll be able to do is a scene survey, not actually get into the building.
Officials do not believe the smoke is harmful to people without respiratory issues. However, the EPA will be testing the smoke and air in the area.
The plume of smoke can be seen for three miles and is reaching about 1,000 feet into the air.
Stay with News Center 7 and whiotv.com for the latest on this developing story.
MADISON TWP: Flames Roar Through Warehouse
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