ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) - Twelve firefighters injured in a blaze at a
commercial building have been treated and released from a hospital, a fire
official said.
Their injuries, including respiratory irritation and chemical burns, all
were mild-to-moderate, said Jeff Lutz of the Anaheim Fire Department.
Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, which broke out
at a commercial building. The blaze caused three chemical storage tanks to
rupture and forced the evacuation of 35 businesses.
The fire was reported just after 4 p.m. Sunday near 4,000-gallon chemical
storage tanks outside Alstyle Dyeing and Finishing, Lutz said. The blaze, which
burned through combustible material near the tanks, was out in less than two
hours.
Two tanks of hydrogen peroxide and one of phosphoric acid burst open in the
fire. While not flammable, both chemicals added to the heat of the blaze, Lutz
said.
As a precaution, 35 nearby businesses in the industrial area were evacuated
Sunday night as hazmat teams cleaned up the spill.
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