POLAND Firefighters try to find cause of Dream Pools blaze

By D.A. WILKINSON
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
POLAND -- Firefighters will begin to determine the cause of a fire early today at Dream Pools & amp; Spas, Poland Center Drive and U.S. Route 224, that briefly resulted in the evacuation of a handful of residents.
Walter M. Duzzny, head of Mahoning County's Emergency Management Agency, said this morning that the residents were allowed back into their homes after his agency determined that fumes from pool chemicals were not toxic.
The fire was reported at 1:49 a.m. today by an alarm system, Duzzny said, and was under control by 6:20 a.m.
"We have no idea of any cause at this point," said Western Reserve Fire Chief David Comstock.
Safety officials feared that fumes from chlorine and bromine, common chemicals used in cleaning pools and spas, would create a health hazard.
What tests showed
Duzzny said fumes came from burning chemicals and the water used to douse the blaze. But air tests conducted by his agency showed that the fumes might cause only minor irritation, he said.
Residents who were evacuated were east of the building at 4299 Poland Center Drive, and were allowed to return to their homes about 21/2 hours after the fire was reported.
Fifteen fire departments from Ohio and western Pennsylvania responded with more than 200 firefighters, along with the emergency management agency and a number of county agencies, Duzzny said.
The blaze started in a northeast corner of the building, which was an office area. The structure, which is located on the south side of Route 224, east of Poland Village, is a total loss, Comstock said. He had no loss estimate, but said the company was insured.
Company owner Andy Rotunno could not be reached to comment this morning.
The chief said the state fire marshal's office and the metro arson task force will be examining the metal-and-wood building. Comstock said he was taking a team approach to get as many qualified people as possible involved in searching for the cause.
Heavy smoke
Firefighters encountered heavy smoke when they entered the building and used thermal imaging cameras to search through the blaze.
Comstock said the smoke went from ceiling almost to the floor.
While the fire was being extinguished, tests were conducted on the run-off mixture of water and chemicals to make sure it posed no health hazard, Duzzny said.
Safety forces used a mixture of sand and dirt to create small dikes to contain the water. The water was released once it was determined not to be a hazard.
By sunrise, firefighters were working in shifts because many of them had been on the scene since the blaze was reported. Several firefighters were treated for fume inhalation, but there were no serious injuries.
The two-story building showed signs of heavy fire damage.