A call to 911 at 7 a.m. on Wednesday (3/23) concerning an active fire at the Thatcher Chemical plant at 4135 Route 104 in Williamson resulted in 12 fire companies and medical personnel responding.

According to First Assistant Williamson Fire Chief John Manahan, the fire erupted in a 70x40  room where large plastic bins were stored for cleaning before reuse. The large 300 gallon tanks did have remnants of chemicals use in processing of products for water treatment, food manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals.

“There might residual in some of the drums in some amounts but there is nothing in the area that burned was an area of concern.”

Williamson firefighters constantly train in the Thatcher facility and were aware of the room’s contents.

When initial Williamson crews arrived, the fire was already through the roof and a heavy black smoke filled the area. Nearby businesses were closed and people were told to stay indoors.

“It was a hell of a good stop”, said Monahan after the fire was beaten back and deemed under control within two hours. The entire Thatcher building was filled with smoke and employees evacuated quickly.

In total, approximately 150 personnel were on hand during the fire. Fire units assisting on scene were from East Williamson, Pultneyville, Ontario, Walworth, Marion, Webster, Wallington, Sodus, Palmyra, South Macedon and Newark. Several other departments remained on stand by. EMS agencies assisting on scene were Williamson, Western Wayne, Ontario, Penfield and Wayne County ALS.  11 Fire personnel were treated at various hospitals for injury or smoke inhalation.

One firefighter suffered a sprained ankle and several others were treated for smoke inhalation. The roof of the storage building collapsed and firefighters remained on the scene for a total of about six hours to ensure there were no after-ignitions and initial inspections.

There was initial concern that the residue from the fire and foam fire retardant ran into a stream leading down to the Pultenyville area and to Lake Ontario. The State DEC (Department of Conservation) was on site and Monahan stated that the foam on the water was deemed to be little more that soap by-products.

Smoke from the fire could be seen from as far away as the Town of Greece in Monroe County. Route 104 was closed for several hours.

There was no threat of a chemical release or any public safety concerns currently.  The fire is being investigated by the Wayne County Sheriff’s and Fire Coordinators Office.

The fire appears to be accidental in nature at this time.