Full Notification

BRISTOL, PA. - May 16, 2012 (WPVI) -- Schools in one Bucks County community are closed today after lightning sparked a fire at a chemical plant overnight.

The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday at the old Rohm and Haas plant now owned by Dow Chemical, located on the 3200 block of State Road in Bristol, Pennsylvania.

Officials say the blaze was sparked when a lightning bolt struck two of the storage tanks at the plant. The blaze quickly went to two alarms and was later upgraded to three alarms as fire crews battled the towering flames.

On site emergency responders and area fire companies from as far away as New Jersey were called in to assist in the effort. Foam crews and Hazmat teams responded to the scene as well as cascade crews, who poured water on the tanks.
The company says the tanks contain two different materials: Ethyl Acrylate and Butyl Acrylate. Both chemicals are used in the company's manufacturing of acrylic coating products, which go into paints.

Employees in nearby buildings were evacuated as a precaution.

There have apparently been some challenges to the fire fight. Fire companies had reported water supply problems.

Authorities tell Action News that a notice is going out to surrounding communities advising them to limit their exposure to the chemical due to this fire. Meanwhile, the company has released a statement saying that they don't anticipate any health impacts from this fire. The statement goes on to say that the odor may persist for a few hours while the material is removed from the dykes surrounding the tanks.

All schools in Bristol Borough School District are closed today due to the chemical fire.

(Copyright ©2012 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/storysection=news/local&id=8663483