Chemical fire at WWU sends firefighters to hospital, cause unclear

Nearly a day after a chemical fire broke out in a third-floor chemistry lab at Western Washington University, crews were still waiting to enter the building to figure out what happened.

No one was injured when the fire erupted around 5:15 Tuesday evening, Aug. 25, but a dozen firefighters who were the first to enter the building were sent to the hospital that night after breathing in an unknown gas, said Rob Kintzele, assistant chief with Bellingham Fire Department.