No injuries reported in Hagerstown fire at environmental cleanup company on Florida Avenue
No injuries were reported Monday morning from a fire at an environmental cleanup company in Hagerstown's West End.
Hagerstown fire marshals are investigating the cause of the fire at 1050B Florida Ave., near Western Heights Middle School.
The early morning fire caused significant damage to the building and its contents, Hagerstown Battalion Chief Russ Grim said at the scene. He estimated the building was about 10,000 square feet.
The lot on Florida Avenue has multiple buildings on it, with the one damaged by fire sitting furtherest back, close to railroad tracks, according to Google Maps.
The building is owned by AC&T Co. and is used by HEPACO, which Grim described as a hazardous materials cleanup company. HEPACO's website described the company as a "full-service environmental remediation contractor."
A representative for HEPACO said no one was hurt and the fire is being investigated. The environmental emergency response company often has chemicals and other items stocked to clean client sites, she said.
A representative for AC&T could not immediately be reached for comment on Monday.
The fire was reported at 3:56 a.m. Monday and the fire was out, with firefighters searching for hot spots, by 6:39 a.m., a Washington County 911 dispatch supervisor said.
Someone initially called a fire station for a smoke investigation, Grim said.
Responding firefighters found a structure fire and more units were dispatched, the 911 supervisor said.
When firefighters arrived, the roof was heavily on fire, Grim said.
Grim said 69 firefighters responded, including the Washington County hazmat unit because officials weren't certain if the building contained hazardous materials. After the fire was out, Grim said he didn't know of any hazardous waste in the building. There were materials in the building used for cleaning up hazardous materials, including absorbent pads, he said.
Among the fire companies responding were Hagerstown, Long Meadow, Maugansville, Halfway, Williamsport, Leitersburg, and Greencastle, Pa., Grim said. Also responding were Community Rescue Service, Washington County's hazmat unit and the air unit.
More:Fire destroys large home on Ailanthus Drive east of Hagerstown
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Numerous fire companies respond to commercial fire in Hagerstown
