Fire at chlorine plant causes shelter-in-place alert

LONGVIEW, Wash. (AP) — A fire at a chlorine plant in Longview, Washington, caused officials to warn people nearby to stay inside because of possible exposure to chlorine bleach vapors.

Longview Police & Fire officials say crews were sent Thursday night to an industrial structure fire at HASA, Inc. and found flames and smoke coming from the roof of the multistory building.

The plant manager confirmed that all employees were accounted for and the building was not occupied, authorities said. The manager told authorities that multiple storage tanks of chlorine bleach solution were inside and outside the plant, prompting the Department of Ecology, a hazardous materials crew and others to arrive and monitor air quality, water runoff and other environmental concerns.

Early Friday, the shelter-in-place order for people nearby was lifted after the bleach vapors were not detected by air monitors beyond several hundred feet of the incident.

No injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hasa Inc. calls itself "a leading producer and distributor of high-quality water treatment products used to sanitize and maintain water systems, including swimming pools, water tanks and containment vessels for recreational, industrial and municipal end markets,” The Daily News reported.

In a statement, the company said "the fire was successfully extinguished by the local fire department, with no known injuries or environmental impacts resulting from the incident. Hasa does not anticipate any interruption for its customers as a result of this isolated incident. We would like thank the fire department for their swift response and containment of the situation, and our dedicated employees for their support and continued dedication to our customers.”