Firefighters hurt in plant fire

TOANO, Va - Four firefighters are recovering after a fire sparked a chemical spill in Toano. It all began around 7:30 Sunday night and ended just after midnight.

Crews say plastic too close to a heater started the fire at the Greystone Manufacturing Plant on Richmond Road.  Water from the building's sprinkler system then caused toxic chemicals to overflow.

The good news is all of the firefighters are expected to make a full recovery and on Monday, WAVY.com spoke with one of the firefighters treated for breathing in the toxic fumes.

"I knew we'd gotten into something, but I wasn't sure what it was. I was worried. I was worried. I'm not going to lie to you," laughs Eric Jones of the James City-Bruton Fire Department.

Jones can laugh now, knowing he and three of his fellow firefighters are alright, but Sunday night when fire broke out at the Greystone Manufacturing Plant, there was cause for concern.

"The building itself is different from any other building we've got in the area really," says Jones.

Greystone, which opened in Toano in 1992, is different because the company uses chemicals like chromium and zinc iron to plate and treat auto parts, defense equipment and more.

"Directly in the area where the fire was, there's two 120 gallon vats of chromic acid solution. It's opened at the top," says Emergency Medical Services District Chief Bob Ryalls.

Ryalls says sprinklers went off, filling the open vats of acid, causing them to overflow, but are the open vats in compliance with state law?

Plant Manager Leif Walther tells WAVY.com, "It's all permitted and has been approved to have it set up the way we have it inside the building."

Hazmat crews from Newport News and York County were called to control the chemical. Because the James City-Bruton Fire Department is across the street from Greystone; Jones was one of the first to respond.

"I didn't really smell anything really at all until we got to the back of the building, you could smell it a lot stronger and stuff and I guess that's when I came in contact with it."

When he walked back toward the trucks, that's when he noticed something wasn't right.

"I had sore throat, irritated coughing a lot, felt kind of nauseous, light headed," says Jones.

The side effects of chromium trioxide include respiratory problems like burning and coughing. Three firefighters were treated for breathing in fumes, one was treated for a broken foot. All are out of the hospital.

WAVY.com asked Walther about any investigations that began Monday. He says, "(OSHA) didn't shut us down. We've been up and running since the beginning of the first shift and they didn't give any indication of them doing anything to stop our production."

He also says, "An internal investigation has been conducted, but I can't comment on any possible procedure changes."

According to the company's web site, Greystone is a division of Induplate, LLC., a chromium and zinc iron plating and heat treating company. The 88,000 square foot building in Toano was purchased in 1992. Greystone plates and heat treats parts primarily for the automotive industry.

More on Chromium Trioxide courtesy ScienceLab.com:

Potential Acute Health Effects:

Very hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Hazardous in case of skin contact (corrosive, permeator), of eye contact (corrosive). Slightly hazardous in case of skin contact (sensitizer). The amount of tissue damage depends on length of contact. Eye contact can result in corneal damage or blindness. Skin contact can produce inflammation and blistering. Inhalation of dust will produce irritation to gastro-intestinal or respiratory tract, characterized by burning, sneezing and coughing.

Severe over-exposure can produce lung damage, choking, unconsciousness or death. Prolonged exposure may result in skin burns and ulcerations. Over-exposure by inhalation may cause respiratory irritation. Inflammation of the eye is characterized by redness, watering, and itching. Skin inflammation is characterized by itching, scaling, reddening, or, occasionally, blistering.

Potential Chronic Health Effects:

Hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant).