Iowa firefighters battle solvents facility blaze

29 October 2007 21:58  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Firefighters were battling a blaze that broke out on Monday at a solvents distributor facility in Des Moines, Iowa.

The fire at the Barton Solvents facility broke out on Monday afternoon, injuring one person and threatening nearby chemical tank cars, according to news accounts.

The cause of the fire was undetermined.

Facility officials said several large tanks north of the plant had been shut off, according to news media reports. However, the size of the fire made it a threat to nearby train cars and resulted in the closure of two interstate highways, according to news media reports.

Heat from the fire drove firefighters back, and chemical barrels had exploded, according to news accounts.

Polk County Emergency Management personnel were unavailable for comment.

The US Chemical Safety Board said it deployed two investigators to the scene to probe the cause of the fire, which caused the evacuation of thousands of residents and sent projectiles into the surrounding community.

Barton Solvents is a distributor of surfactants, oils and industrial chemicals that are marketed under the name of Barsol.

By: Gene Lockard
1 713 525 2653

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