Hazmat Situation in Lafayette, Louisiana Being Monitored Overnight

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) - Lafayette Fire Department and Louisiana State Police hazmat technicians have stabilized a chemical solution that was producing orange smoke at a Lafayette business Thursday afternoon.

According to the Lafayette Fire Department, a "barrier dike was placed around the plastic tote" that was spewing the smoke in case a leak occurred overnight.

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"A private company experienced with hazardous material incidents arrived on scene to monitor the situation throughout the night," LFD said in a statement Thursday night. "The solution is expected to maintain its stability. There’s no concern of any additional off-gassing."

Local hazmat teams will "report back to the scene in the morning to assess and mitigate the incident."

Original story below.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Lafayette Fire Department Hazmat Team is currently investigating a hazardous materials issue on Cameron Street in Lafayette.

Just after noon on Thursday, the Lafayette hazmat team arrived at a local business, Quala, in the 3200 block of Cameron Street, where they discovered a 275-gallon plastic container with around 60 gallons of liquid inside. The container, which was located in the loading area of the business, was producing orange smoke.

The smoke, which appeared to have been the result of a chemical reaction, forced the hazmat team to lock down the area and get employees evacuated.

According to the hazmat unit, employees at the business explained that they had been mixing several chemicals in the container when the reaction occurred. They immediately called 911, and no injuries were reported.

Louisiana State Police Hazmat was also on the scene to assist the Lafayette Fire Department.

According to the fire department, there are further details are available at this time.

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