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Firefighters and employees injured in chemical plant fire

Posted on by SST

A fire at a Memphis, Tenn., chemical plant injured four individuals, including two firefighters and two employees. According to the Associated Press, the fire was located at Pollution Control Industries on the city's North Side. 

It took about two hours for firefighters to contain the blaze after they arrived at the scene around 4:30 p.m. July 11. Shelby County Fire Department spokesman Brent Perkins told the source that no flames or smoke was visible from the site by 6:30 p.m. It took about 35 firefighters from Millington, Memphis and Shelby County fire departments to battle the flames.

The two employees injured in the fire suffered chemical burns. One of those injured was taken to a nearby hospital by helicopter and the other was transported by ambulance, the AP reported. The two injured firefighters were from the Shelby County Fire Department. One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion while the other was treated for a shoulder injury. 

The streets surrounding the facility were closed for more than an hour and city officials canceled an event at Memphis Motorsports Park while air samples were collected to determine if any toxic gases were released into the air, the article stated. 

Pollution Control Industries manufactures exhaust and emission items, the company's website stated. The company also uses chemicals to destroy hazardous materials. According to the AP, officials do not yet know which chemical caused the facility to catch fire. 

This isn't the first time that firefighters have responded to a fire at the plant. There was at least one other instance where the facility's fire alarm control system alerted firefighters to flames.

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