PORT ANGELES — A Westport Shipyard building was briefly evacuated Wednesday morning because of a small chemical spill and fire.
Westport employees extinguished the fire and cleaned up the spill of chemicals used in making fiberglass at the shipyard at 337 Marine Drive, said Ken Dubuc, Port Angeles assistant fire chief and city fire marshal.
“They’re very well-trained,” Dubuc said.
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 firefighters made sure the affected building was evacuated and the fire extinguished, then stood by to support the Westport cleanup efforts for about two hours, he said.
There were no reports of injuries because of fire or chemical exposure, and damage was limited to a small piece of fiberglass fabrication equipment, Dubuc said.
At about 9:15 a.m., Westport employees noticed flames with smoke coming from a machine that mixes fiberglass resin with a catalyst, Fire Chief Dan McKeen said in a statement.
An employee activated a fire alarm, initiating an evacuation of the building, and trained Westport responders extinguished the fire with portable fire extinguishers, he said.
“The very positive outcome of this incident was largely to the rapid, appropriate response of Westport employees,” McKeen said.
McKeen said the state Department of Ecology was informed of the spill, as required by law.
“Based on how well the situation was immediately handled, coupled with the fact that the material was contained and did not impact the environment, Ecology decided that they did not need to respond,” he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
