Schaumburg fire destroys chemical tank

A small fire inside a Schaumburg manufacturing facility destroyed a tank containing an acidic chemical Sunday afternoon, according to fire officials.

The facility, on the 1600 block of Mitchell Boulevard, which specializes in manufacturing circuit boards, has built-in components to prevent the chemical from spilling out of the building, said Batallion Chief Michael Diaferia.

Firefighters responded to a general alarm just after 4 p.m. and found an employee inside the building who had seen smoke in the rear of the facility, Diaferia said.

Firefighters found that a heating unit for a chemical holding tank had malfunctioned and created a small fire that was prevented from spreading by the building’s sprinkler system, he said.

Diaferia said the chemical inside the destroyed tank was a low concentrated acid that did not pose any dangers.

The Schaumburg Fire Department tested the ph level of the ground around the building and the stream behind it and found no evidence that the acid had escaped the building, Diaferia said.