Chemcentral Moves Forward After Fire
SEATTLE – Chemical distributor Chemcentral Corp. is moving into new offices while it continues to service clients following a fire at its Seattle-area facility.
Temporary offices will be located at 8201 S. 212th St., Kent, Wash., and will be used until a new facility can be built at the site of the former offices and warehouse in Kent, a Seattle suburb.
Chemcentral President and CEO, Dave Courtney, visited the Seattle operations last week to thank employees, the Kent fire department, the Boeing fire department and area businesses for their support during and after the fire. “I am so impressed by the hard work of the Seattle team after this devastating fire. The Seattle operations were back in business in a matter of days,” Courtney said.
The fire, which authorities have determined to be accidental, broke out in the early morning hours of September 13 in the facility’s offices. In addition to the office, the company’s warehouse was destroyed.
Quick action by the fire department and Chemcentral contained the potential environmental damage. As a result of the fire, drums containing chemicals were damaged, and their contents, as well as liquid from the fire-fighting effort, ran into an adjacent drainage ditch and nearby creek. The fire department quickly stopped drainage of the ditch into the creek, and the company called in environmental consultants and engineers to work with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Tests taken at the end of September show no toxicity in the creek or the nearby Green River.
“We are especially pleased that our aggressive cleanup efforts paid off,” Courtney said. “This company is committed to safety and protection of the environment, so when this accident happened, we were determined to do whatever it took to make things right.”
The Seattle operations continue to receive support from Chemcentral facilities in Spokane and Portland. The company plans to continue operation in the Seattle area by eventually rebuilding at the site of the fire.
Washington state customers and suppliers can reach Chemcentral at 425-251-8500.
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