Dive summary:
- Calcium quicklime fueled a large chemical fire that took hours and backup from the Griffiss Air Force Base to extinguish.
- Calcium quicklime fires are especially hazardous because instead of being extinguished by water, the fire is fueled by it; it took a dry compound brought by the Air Force to extinguish the flames.
- Officials are looking into how the chemical ended up in the recycling facility instead of the landfill where it should have been disposed of.
From the article:
A chemical fire at the Leland Avenue recycling facility on the grounds of Oneida-Herkimer Solid Waste Authority in Utica kept fire crews busy throughout Tuesday afternoon, breaking out around 2 p.m. in the rear part of the recycling center and causing most employees to be evacuated.
Smoke could be seen from blocks away, and when the Utica Fire Department arrived on scene, they found the fire located in the rear portion of the recycling center. It quickly became clear to firefighters that they were dealing with much more than a standard fire. ...
