Warsaw, IN — Eight people were injured when a fire broke out at Warsaw Chemical, which is located in Warsaw, Indiana. The accident happened on Friday, February 6, 2015, around 11:00.
According to reports, two firefighters responding to the fire and five Warsaw Chemical employees were complaining about burning lungs and eyes after the fire was put out. They were sent to a local hospital to be treated after plant workers decontaminated them at the scene.
The eighth individual suffered burns on his hands.
Reports say that the fire started in a storage shed and quickly spread. A short time later, about 50 homes and businesses located within 1,000 feet of the plant were evacuated, and only allowed to return around 3:30 in the afternoon.
Water that had been contaminated by chemicals leaked into Winona Lake, and the accident is now being investigated by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Scene of the Accident
Commentary
The news reports I’ve read about this talk a lot about the damage the fire caused — the contamination of a local lake, the evacuation of local residents — but doesn’t say much on how the accident started. That could really effect how the accident is handled going forward. How did the fire start? Chemicals being handled improperly? Defective equipment? How was the fire handled once it started? Did all of the employees have the proper training necessary to get to a safe place? This seems like it has the potential to turn into something big. Hopefully the investigation into the accident brings to light more details on how this accident happened. Of course, some accidents are just that, accidents. And you can’t always plan for every eventuality. But if some process put in place to keep these sorts of things from happening broke down, then that obviously needs to be examined and steps taken to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
— Grossman Law Offices
