Residents told to stay inside after spill in Fairfield

Fairfield, Conn. (WTNH) --A Metro-North station was temporarily shut down, and nearby residents were told to stay inside while firefighters were on the scene of a major chemical leak at a factory in the Black Rock Turnpike area of Fairfield.

The incident took place at a factory on Commerce Avenue.

Dozens of firefighters and hazmat crews had been on the scene since 11 a.m.

"They had an over pressurization of their system inside and what you're seeing down the street there is what the system is designed to do. When these chemicals over pressurize during the plating process the system is designed to off gas and that's exactly what it's doing right now," said Deputy Chief Art Reid, Fairfield Fire Department.

The factory makes components for LEDs, working with special metals and chemicals.

"We have about 25 employees working here right now, everybody's ok, were evacuated as soon as we noticed unusual emissions of gas," said 5N Plus Inc General Manager Roger Ngassam.

A reverse 911 message went out, asking local business workers and residents to stay inside and close windows because the chemical Gallium trichloride can be an eye irritant, but it is not considered dangerous for area residents.

"Initial air monitoring by Fairfield Fire Department Hazardous Materials Technicians found no readings of chlorine" or other contaminants outside the building," said Incident Commander Assistant Fire Chief Steve Curry.

Walter is a factory employee. He said it was a scary situation because it was unclear at first as to what exactly had happened.

Nearby roads were shut down, slowing down the lunch hour for nearby restaurants, but not stopping it, thanks to loyal customers determined to snack on their favorite lunchtime meal.

"It's kind of surprising that people can park two lots away and they would park over there and still walk over. That's dedication. That's great our customers are awesome so we thought it was going to be a lost day, but some people called and said we're still going to be there," said John Pellegrino of Super Duper Weenie.

The Fairfield Metro-North Station had to be closed from 11:30 a. m through 12:30 p. m. Metro-North said the temporary closure only affected two trains.

Officials from 5N Plus Inc. said they will be investigating to find out what exactly happened.

There were no injuries, medical complaints or signs of environmental impact caused by the chemical leak, according to Chief Curry.

Around 6:30 p.m. the chemical leak was contained.