A chemical spill inside a household beauty products warehouse in Yonkers triggered a reaction that sparked a three-alarm fire, authorities said.
Yonkers Fire Commissioner William Fitzpatrick said units responded after receiving a call around noon to 134 Woodworth Ave. Responders were “confronted with a large white cloud of smoke coming out of the building as a result of a chemical reaction.”
“About an hour into the incident, the chemical reaction intensified and created an exothermic reaction which initiated a fire inside the building. It quickly turned into a three-alarm structure fire,” he said.
Fitzpatrick said the initial investigation pointed to a forklift that damaged a container inside the building and triggered the spill. Hazmat crews were sent to the scene and the fire was placed under control about an hour later.
He said there were some minor injuries to several firefighters and that some civilians were transported to a hospital out of an abundance of caution.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza said units were testing air quality in an effort to get trains in the area back up and running. The fire partially suspended service along the Hudson Line.
Authorities believe the incident was triggered by human error.
Mayor Mike Spano said resident should feel “confident” that responders were able to get the situation under control quickly.