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YONKERS, N.Y. (AP) — A chemical leak and fire at a suburban New
York beauty products warehouse Tuesday may have been caused by a
forklift mishap, officials said, warning neighbors to stay
indoors. Commuter trains were temporarily stalled in the area
ahead of the evening rush hour.
The trouble began around noon at a facility in Yonkers, a city
of about 211,000 people on the Hudson River just north of New
York City's Bronx borough. Firefighters believe a forklift
damaged a container while moving products around the tightly
packed space, and the container leaked a chemical of some sort,
Fire Commissioner William Fitzpatrick said at a news conference.
Voice and email messages were sent to a hair and skin products
company that operates from the address.
Fitzpatrick said firefighters arrived to find a large cloud of
white chemical smoke pouring out of the warehouse, and within an
hour, the chemical reaction intensified into a fire.
Police warned residents of several surrounding blocks to stay
inside because of “a hazmat situation involving bleach.” Cars
and pedestrians were told to avoid the area.
Two people with pre-existing medical problems were escorted out
of the area, Fitzpatrick said. About half a dozen firefighters
suffered minor injuries during an hourslong response.
Ultimately, wind blew a lot of the smoke toward the nearby
Hudson River and away from buildings, the commissioner said. He
said firefighters had the blaze under control by late afternoon.
The Metro-North Railroad stopped running trains in the area
around 3:30 p.m., but they started rolling again two hours
later.
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