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Crews from several fire departments battled a chemical blaze Friday afternoon at Karl Industries Inc. on Chamberlain Road in Mantua Township. At least one person, reportedly the owner of the company, was taken to Akron Children’s Hospital for treatment of burns suffered in what was described as an explosion and subsequent fire.
Mantua–Shalersviille Fire Chief Matt Roosa said the department had received a call for a fire alarm and a potential fire. He arrived to find the building ablaze.
“The roof was on fire when we pulled up,” he said. “That was our main concern, exposure control.”
Lt. Brooke Stamm owas first to arrive on the scene. “When we rounded the corner we could see a header, big black smoke over the building and explosions,” she said. “There were loud noises. The roof blew off at one point.”
Karl Industries is located at 11415 Chamberlain Road in Mantua Township. According to its website, the company works with small amounts of chemicals in high pressure reactions.
“There’s all kinds of chemicals and tanks in the building,” Stamm said. “That’s what was burning when we arrived.”
Roosa declared the building “a total loss” except for the front office, which is not attached to the main building. The property value was last appraised in 2012 at $418,000, according to the Portage County Auditor’s Office.
Firefighters from Streetsboro and Hiram in Portage County and Auburn Township in Geauga County helped control the blaze. The Portage County HAZMAT Team and Ohio Environmental Protection Agency were on scene to do chemical analysis and monitor air quality.
“We’re not sure what chemicals are in the building,” Stamm said as firefighters attempted to control the blaze. “To prevent more chemicals from running off the water we’re spraying on the fire, we’re using what we can to cool the area as we need to.”
Courtesy of auroraadvocate.com
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