According to a report from NBC Connecticut, a tent and drums containing sulfuric acid caught fire outside a Pepperidge Farms bakery plant in Bloomfield, Connecticut, on Blue Hills Avenue Wednesday morning. Operations conducted by the Bloomfield (CT) Fire Department (BFD) have since been suspended until the health department inspects the building, according to BFD officials.
The BFD responded to the plant after receiving reports just before 5 a.m. that a tent-like structure was in flames with possible chemical involvement.
BFD officials determined that the chemical was sulfuric acid, so they decided to let the fire burn itself out rather than use water to avoid a chemical reaction. Pepperidge Farms officials said the tent was being used a temporary storage spot for the chemical drums because of construction around the building.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental said company staff are still gathering information, but are aware that the totes of mixed acids outside of the building caught fire, the containers failed, and some of the chemicals entered into catch basins on the property.
No injuries have been reported, and some employees went home while others are waiting to go back inside. Local police said there are no road closures.
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