PENNSYLVANIA Fire marshal probes tear-gas factory blaze

Firefighters from five departments fought the blaze.
JAMESTOWN, Pa. -- The Pennsylvania State Police Fire Marshal's office is investigating a fire in a tear-gas factory that spewed a large cloud of tear-gas-laden smoke from the plant, forcing a three-hour evacuation of about 50 homes in a two-mile radius.
The fire erupted shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Combined Tactical Systems Inc. plant on state Route 58, also known as Kinsman Road. About 40 firefighters from the Jamestown, Kinsman, Hempfield, Greenville and West Salem fire departments were at the scene. The last firefighters left the scene around 6:30 p.m.
A man living nearby was taken by private vehicle to UPMC Horizon Hospital in Greenville to be treated for tear-gas inhalation, and some firefighters were treated for minor burns at the scene.
Cause undetermined
The cause of the fire is undetermined, said Assistant Fire Chief Brian Albaugh. The blaze was confined to the steel building in which it originated, and that building was destroyed, he added. Other buildings at the plant remain intact, Albaugh said. The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection took samples of runoff water from the fire. A creek runs 300-400 yards from the plant, Albaugh said.
All firefighters at or near the scene or downwind had to wear self-contained air packs, Albaugh said. "When the first crews got there, it was a very hot fire," he added. A major concern was the irritant effect of the tear gas, including the burns it can cause on exposed skin, he said.
Damage from the blaze is estimated at about $250,000, according to a state police news release.