May 28, 1997

Fire at Van's Archery causes hazardous fumes

       About $10,000 damage was done to Van’s Archery in White River Township when a cleaning solution caught fire Tuesday night.  White River Township Fire Department’s hazardous materials team responded to the archery, located at 5526 W. Stones Crossing Road, after the cleaning solution caused a large cloud of hazardous smoke to fill the building.  Six employees suffered respiratory problems from the smoke, and three had to be taken to the hospital. Their conditions were unavailable late Tuesday.  The fire began after employees were working on archery equipment with a cleaning solution near a butane torch, said Eric Brown, fire marshal for the department.  “They spilled the solution, and then it ignited,” Brown said.  He said the cleaning solution, methyl ethyl ketone, caused only a small fire, but the danger was in the employees and firefighters breathing the material.  (Reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)

 

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