UPDATE: Hazmat situation sends 14 firefighters to hospital

By: News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

CRANSTON, R. I. (WLNE) — More than a dozen firefighters were taken to the hospital after battling a chemical fire on Monday.

Cyanide and nitric acid were some of the chemicals that turned a fire at a local business into a major hazmat situation.

Cranston Fire told ABC6 News that responders were dispatched to Prosys Finishing Technologies on Elmwood Ave around 4:37 p.m.

“There’s a number of different chemicals that are stored there, and in putting out the fire, the chemicals were disturbed, some mixed so what was a small fire is now a hazardous materials site,” said Fire Chief Bill McKenna from the Cranston Fire Department.

Approximately 30 workers at another company within building, jewelry maker Gem-Craft Inc., were forced to evacuate.

“Just sitting there and finishing the day’s work. The other company had gone home. But suddenly the alarm went off and when they did they told us after a few minutes, when they realized what was going on, to get out of the building as quickly as we could,” said Gem-Craft employee, Bob Brown.

The fire was knocked down relatively quickly, but 14 firefighters were taken to area hospitals for evaluation due to exposure to the chemicals. One had difficulty breathing but all are expected to be okay.

Then came the daunting and delicate task for hazmat crews-identifying and neutralizing the chemicals, which included cyanide and nitric acid and some of which had mixed together.

"The chemicals are packed in containers, some of them cardboard containers, some of them drums,” said Chief McKenna. “Some are reactive with water, some with each other.”

Crews then decontaminated themselves in a tent before being monitored by EMTs.

A Gem-Craft employee told ABC6 News that he has been aware of no prior issues involving chemicals at Prosys.

“Whatever is in the rear, they’ve always seemed to be fine with whatever they do, there’s never seemed to be an issue,” said Brown.

The section of Elmwood Avenue was closed for approximately five hours during the hazmat response, but it has since reopened.

Most of the businesses were not evacuated, but a daycare next door was.

Meanwhile, ABC6 News was told the building where this all happened will definitely remain closed for the time being.

©WLNE-TV / ABC6 2018