BURLINGTON — Chief Michael Patterson reports that the Burlington Fire Department responded to a reported HAZMAT situation on Friday morning at a local business.
On Friday, March 11 at approximately 10:15 a.m., the Burlington Fire Department responded to Desktop Metal, 63 Third Ave., for a report of a possible HAZMAT situation.
First arriving crews determined that a chemist who works for Desktop Metals was monitoring a tumbler that contained aluminum powder, when the chemist noticed that the temperature of the powder was rising to a concerning level.
The chemist, who knew that the powder could become an explosion hazard if the temperature rose too high, evacuated the building, pumped Nitrogen into the tumbler containing the powder to stop the temperature from rising higher, and called 911.
Burlington Firefighters declared a Tier 1 HAZMAT situation and requested assistance from the state Department of Fire Services HAZMAT team. The State Police Bomb Squad was also called to the scene as a precaution. Those crews remain on scene and are working to safely remove and dispose of the aluminum powder.
Thanks to the awareness and immediate action of the chemist, the possible danger was mitigated, and there is now no immediate threat.
“The chemist did a fantastic job, and I would like to thank him for recognizing the potential danger here, and for quickly taking important steps to mitigate that danger,” said Chief Patterson. “The diligence of the employees at Desktop Metal helped to ensure this incident was not more serious.”