Fire Danger at HD: Clouds of Hazardous Smoke on Home Services

Nov

Fire Danger at HD: Clouds of Hazardous Smoke

posted by admin in Home Depot

Communities considering a Home Depot application need to seriously examine their fire-fighting capacity. In May, 1995, a fire broke out at the Home Depot in Quincy, MA. The Patriot Ledger described the fire this way:

Burning stacks of fertilizer, pool chemicals and plastic lawn furniture at Home Depot created billowing clouds of toxic smoke that sent dozens of firefighters to local hospitals last night… The fire created a toxic mix of hydrogen chloride and other gases…Every firefighter who went into the building was washed down at a decontamination station in the parking lot…two school buses and 15 ambulances were called to take firefighters and police officers to hospitals.

The smoke was considered hazardous enough to call the 26 members of the regional hazardous materials team. The firefighters were fighting chemicals that could have caused burns on exposed skin. The crush of customers in the parking lot hindered the arrival of fire engines and ambulances.

According to reports, because of the way HD stacks its merchandise, much of the material continued to burn because water could not reach it. You had about a minute to get out of the store–it happened that fast,Â said the Quincy Wiring Inspector, who said it was a matter of seconds before the heavy, Home Depot thick smoke spread through the store. I would say that anybody that lingered more than a minute wouldn’t have got out,said the Inspector.

City Council President Mike Cheney said he was worried about the smoke danger. It’s scary, Home Depot because you know there are a lot of chemicals in there. There was a blanket of smoke rolling through the neighborhood. People were panicing, said a HD cashier.What would you expect? The building was on fire.