FRANKLIN, Ohio (AP) -- Ten people were taken to a hospital yesterday to be checked for possible chemical exposure after a fire at a factory that manufactures automobile exhaust systems, authorities said.
Eight of the people were released; two were admitted for treatment and evaluation at Sycamore Hospital in the Dayton suburb of Miamisburg, nursing supervisor Debbie Riley said.
Units from several fire departments responded to the blaze that started about 11:30 a.m. in a bin used to collect processing dust at the Faurecia factory, about 15 miles south of Dayton.
Carlisle Fire Chief Greg Wallace said the small fire was contained quickly, but there was concern that some employees and firefighters might have been exposed to chemicals released in the fire.
Wallace said one of the chemicals causing concern was chromium, which is used for hardening steel alloys, producing stainless steel and in corrosion-resistant platings.
Fifty-five employees of the factory were evacuated and put through decontamination procedures, Wallace said.
The cause of the fire and damage estimates had not been determined last night.
Messages seeking comment were left at the office of Chief Jonathan Westendorf of the Franklin fire department and at the Faurecia factory last night.
A team from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency also responded to the fire. A message seeking comment was left at the agency's office in Columbus.
Faurecia, based in Nanterre, France, is a worldwide automotive equipment supplier.
