OH Crews Burning off Leaked Chemical

Aug. 01 -- The Akron Fire Department will supervise the controlled burning of a chemical this afternoon at the site of last month’s explosion and fire at the Emerald Performance Materials plant on West Emerling Avenue.

The chemical, butadiene, which is used at the South Akron plant, will be removed and then burned in a process that will take 24 to 48 hours, the fire department said. Under a best-case scenario, the burn will last 12 hours.

The controlled burn is expected to start at 3 p.m. and will involve disposing of three tanks of the chemical. A fire department spokeswoman on Wednesday said she was unsure how much butadiene will be burned.

No evacuations in the surrounding area will be necessary today, the Akron Fire Department said in a news release.

“No one is confined to their home,” fire department spokeswoman Sierjie Lash said.

While no evacuations are needed, the public will be prevented from getting close to the burn site, Lash said.

The “tightly controlled” burning will involve a limited amount of chemical, the fire department said. “No health risks to the public are expected, therefore an evacuation will not be needed, and no other precautions for the public are needed at this time,” the news release said.

The explosion and fire on July 18 severely damaged the plant, with the surrounding industrial neighborhood evacuated. There were no injuries. The facility uses butadiene in its processes.

City officials this week said an ongoing investigation still has not determined what caused the fire. There have been multiple public safety and health violations documented at the plant going back years by local and state inspectors.

The plan to dispose of butadiene using a controlled burn was reviewed by Akron Air Quality, Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, Akron Fire Department and the U.S. EPA, according to the fire department.

People might see smoke coming from the Emerald Performance location. People also may see a glow from the burn in the evening.

Emergency personnel will be on site. Air quality will also be monitored throughout the entire operation, the fire department said.

Fire Chief Clarence Tucker and Emerald Performance Materials agreed that this process represents the safest option for removing the remaining butadiene from the facility, the release said.

Emerald Performance Materials traces its history to BFGoodrich. The company is privately held and based in Washington state. It supplies chemicals to the aerospace, cosmetic, paint, food and other industries

Residents with questions about the controlled burn can call the Akron Fire Department at 330-375-2101.

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