One person and two firefighters were injured in a fire and explosion at a factory Thursday evening in the Little Village neighborhood on the Southwest Side.
Firefighters responded shortly after 7 p.m. to the blaze in a small pile of metal at the factory in the 2900 block of West 31st Street, according to Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford.
Chemicals in the factory prompted a hazardous materials response, and crews had to wait for a special sodium carbonate ash to apply to the fire. Using water would have spurred a reaction causing another explosion, Langford said.
One injured factory employee was taken to Stroger Hospital in fair condition. Two firefighters suffered minor injuries, sending one each to Mount Sinai Hospital and Saint Anthony Hospital, Langford said.
The fire was extinguished by about 10 p.m.
