Chemical Fire Prompts Evacuations In Dixmoor

DIXMOOR (CBS) -- A chemical fire broke out at a plant in South Suburban Dixmoor Thursday afternoon, spurring an evacuation of the area, but no injuries were reported.

The fire started about 4:30 p.m. in an outdoor concrete storage tank containing sulfur at the Rhodia plant at 14000 S. Seeley Ave., according to a press release from the Dixmoor Fire Department.

The fire generated sulfur dioxide vapor, a respiratory irritant, prompting the evacuation of some nearby businesses mobile homes about 6 p.m., the release said.

The cause of the fire could not immediately determined as in under investigation.

A Dixmoor Police dispatcher said the area was no longer evacuated as of 10:15 p.m., but officials did not provide the exact time the fire was put out and the vapor cleared.

Rhodia's Dixmoor plant manufactures ingredients used in consumer products, including soaps, detergents and shampoos, the release said. It employs about 45 people.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2010. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)