A hazardous chemical fire sparked an explosion at a Georgia manufacturing plant early Friday morning, forcing school closures and evacuations across Calhoun County.
Calhoun firefighters first received reports of the blaze at DHM Adhesives around 1:15 a.m., Fire Deputy Terry Mills told the Gordon Gazette. He said first responders were on the scene within minutes of the initial call, but the building — located in downtown Calhoun — was already almost entirely consumed by flames.
Ten workers were inside the facility at the time, and one of them was injured. No details on the victim’s condition have been released.
Employees at the plant told authorities an explosion occurred shortly after the fire broke out, which Mills said could be the reason the flames spread as quickly as they did. He added that it’s not exactly clear what chemicals were inside the facility, and that authorities are working to identify all the substances.
“I just know that they made adhesives and that there were some pretty flammable materials inside,” Mills said. “That’s pretty much all I know right now.”
The chemical fire forced most roads to close in downtown Calhoun, which remained blanketed in a thin layer of smoke late Friday morning. The Housing Authority also put up a mandatory evacuation notice for some residents while Calhoun County Schools announced that classes for the day had been cancelled.
“CCS will be closed today due to a hazardous chemical fire on Wall Street earlier this morning which poses a threat,” school officials said in a tweet. “We are concerned with student and staff safety with regards to air quality in and around the schools. All residents in area are advised to stay indoors.”
Both the Calhoun Recreation Center and the Calhoun Reycling were also forced to close their doors amid the incident.
Members of the Environmental Protection Division arrived on the scene just before 9 a.m., according to the Gazette. They are awaiting the arrival of their equipment so that they can begin monitoring and assessing air quality.
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