Hazmat situation at Zentis turns out to be steam

Thursday evening, just before 6, Plymouth emergency responders were dispatched to Zentis North American Foods on North Oak Drive for a possible hazmat incident. Fortunately, the situation didn’t end up as seriously as initially suspected.   

Initially, the manager thought a chemical-mixed plume of smoke discovered inside the building near the loading dock was a mix of cleaning chemicals that formed a vapor cloud in the building.  The manager evacuated the building. 

The Plymouth Fire Department responded to the scene and could see dense smoke inside the building on the north side.  After receiving details of what may have been the cause of the smoke cloud the decision was made to call the South Bend Hazmat Team. 

The Hazmat team arrived at 7:37 p.m.  Members reviewed the building’s floor plan and the Safety Data Sheets before entering the building and used a drone to survey the situation. After gearing up in hazmat suits, they entered the building.  The Plymouth Fire Department set up a decontamination unit.  

Zentis employees were cleaning using some chemicals and a high-pressure steam hose.  The Hazmat Team was able to determine that a stuck seam valve was the source of the smoke plume, and the odor was only the cleaning material.  There was no hazmat leak of chemicals, only steam.

Assistant Chief Chuy Garcia told GIANT fm WTCA that three Zentis employees were transported to the Plymouth Hospital by ambulance as a precaution.  The chemicals being used in the cleaning process could irritate the eyes and lungs.  No injuries were reported.