POLAND Search is under way for cause of fire

Evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes about 21/2 hours after the fire was reported.
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, 4299 Center Road (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. Safety officials feared that fumes from chlorine and bromine, common chemicals used in cleaning pools and spas, would create a health hazard.
Tests
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 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.
It was not immediately clear where the fire began in the building, which is on the south side of Route 224, east of Poland Village.
The Western Reserve Fire District will lead the investigation into the cause of the blaze. Duzzny said the cause was not immediately apparent.
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.
By sunrise, firefighters were working in shifts because many of them had been on the scene since the blaze was reported.
The two-story wooden building showed signs of heavy fire damage.