STAR (Idaho Statesman) – A chemical fire ignited at a construction site Friday in Star, forcing evacuations and briefly closing a portion of State Street, Middleton-Star Fire District Battalion Chief Rick Arnold told the Idaho Statesman.
The fire started just after 3:15 p.m. when a spark from a drill ignited two 55-gallon drums of methyl methacrylate, which were in a contractor’s van in the parking lot of the new Sonic restaurant that is under construction on State Street in Star. The chemical is commonly used for flooring, Arnold said.
“When it’s exposed to heat, obviously it’s highly flammable,” Arnold said. “Once it lights on fire, it polymerizes and explodes.”
As a precaution, Arnold said emergency crews began an evacuation within a one-block radius of the fire.
With help from the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Ada County Paramedics and the Boise Fire Department’s hazmat team, emergency personnel were able to control the fire at 3:48 p.m.
The restaurant did sustain some damage, but no one was injured in the fire, Arnold said.
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