A fire at the Wacker Polysilicon plant early Saturday morning required help from area emergency responders and added to the list of safety incidents at the chemical plant since it opened in Charleston, Tennessee in 2016.
The fire was contained to a small, non-processing area of the facility. No chemicals were involved or released, according to Adam Lewis, the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office director of media and public relations. It was reported at 1:20 a.m. on the fourth floor of the wastewater treatment building inside the facility. A cloud of smoke and water vapor were present, but air quality tests showed no chemical residue in the air, according to Lewis.
“There continues to be no danger to the public,” Lewis said in a news release.
Wacker has its own fire department but needed assistance reaching the fire on an upper level of the facility. Wacker Fire, Cleveland City Fire, Bradley County Fire and Rescue and the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office responded. Polk County Fire and Rescue was on standby.
“We pride ourselves on Wacker’s commitment to safety. Since 2016, Wacker-Charleston’s safety record has always been much lower than the average for other manufacturing sites, per published OSHA statistics,” according to a statement from company communications coordinator Lisa Mantooth.