Local News

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Small fire at chemical weapons incinerator quickly doused Wednesday

By Dan Whisenhunt
Star Staff Writer
01-25-2007

Workers quickly doused an early-morning fire at a building adjacent to Anniston’Äôs chemical weapons incinerator, according to Anniston Chemical Activity spokesman Michael Abrams.

The fire started shortly after 1 a.m. in an electrical component controlling a ventilation system for the incinerator, and was noticed during a routine test, Abrams said.

Work temporarily has halted at the facility pending an investigation. No incineration was ongoing at the time of the incident, according to a press release.

"It was a piece of equipment that had been in service for a period of time," Abrams said. "It overheated and it got hot enough to where it flamed a little bit."

No one was injured, and a small amount of property was damaged, according to the release.

The release said chemical weapons disposal is expected to resume soon.