Building Cleared After Vandalism, Chemical Smell

A chemical smell that prompted the evacuation of a local business has been deemed a false alarm by crews.

An employee at the , on Ten Rod Road behind the Lafayette Mill, smelled a “strong chemical” odor shortly after a vandal reportedly threw a brick through a first floor window just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to the.

NKFD’s special hazards team was joined by their counterparts in Warwick in investigating the matter and evacuated the building. After a series of air monitoring tests by both crews and an analysis from the Department of Environmental Management, officials deemed the building safe. Occupants were allowed back into the building around 1 p.m., more than three hours after the initial call. There were no reported injuries.

The initial vandalism and the chemical smell — the root of which is unknown — were unrelated incidents, according to Deputy Chief Philip Aldrich.

“I believe it was just a coincidence,” said Aldrich. “Better safe than sorry.”