By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
NILES – At 1:12 Tuesday morning, Niles City Fire, Niles Township Fire and Niles City Police responded to a call reporting a fire at the Niles Chemical Paint facility at 225 Fort St. in Niles.
Southwestern Michigan Community Ambulance Services (SMCAS) and members of Berrien County Hazmat were also on scene, although Lamb said there were no injuries in the fire and Hazmat officials were not needed.
The fire was "isolated to one chemical" which the company has not used in a while, Lamb said. The chemical is called nitrocellulose.
"Basically they used it to create lacquers," Lamb said. Over time, leaking and byproduct eventually causes the chemical to become an explosive, Lamb explained. "It becomes shock sensitive" and "very flammable."
Stored in 35-gallon drums, the top popped off itself – and the chemical self-ignited.
When crews arrived on the scene at 01:16 a.m., however, Lamb said the fire was contained – thanks to the facility's sprinkler system.
"There was some light smoke," he said, "showing from the storage structure of the southwest corner of the complex." The fire was "very rapid" with no major damage to the building.