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Chemical reaction caused recycling center fire, officials sayFeb 17, 2010 (The Columbian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- A stubborn blaze in recycled cardboard, plastics, old tires and other materials at Columbia Resource Co. on Monday was caused by water that reacted with calcium oxide powder in the piles and generated intense heat. Firefighters, company workers and specialists with a private environmental contractor labored from early morning and into the night Monday, working warily because of a white powder that at first hadn't been identified. They became even more cautious after learning it was calcium oxide, also known as quicklime, which generates heat when exposed to water, according to Capt. Chris Moen of the Vancouver Fire Department and chemical industry Web sites including www.peterschemical.com. A dilemma Firefighters, caught in a dilemma, had to limit the amount of water they sprayed onto the smoldering and sometimes flaring blaze, to avoid wetting more of the calcium oxide, Moen said. Tuesday, firefighters no longer were at the scene at 6601 N.W. Old River Road. But workers there were dealing with the cleanup of once-smoldering materials that were scooped up by large loaders. The loader operators, employed by the private contractor, were wearing protective suits and breathing apparatus in the heavy, noxious smoke. The material was placed in special sealed containers as part of the cleanup. Calcium oxide, widely used in several industries, also is caustic and can cause severe irritation to moist skin and eyes, said Moen and the chemical-safety Web site www.inchem.org. When inhaled, it can cause sneezing, coughing and burns, and even perforate the nasal septum. Moen said Monday that fire was unintentional and that a dollar damage estimate hadn't been determined. To see more of The Columbian, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.columbian.com. Copyright (c) 2010, The Columbian, Vancouver, Wash. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |