PHOTOS: Residents are permitted to return to their homes after a commercial fire in Akron that prompted an evacuation order burned for most of Thursday.
The all-clear came at 8 p.m. Akron Mayor Shammas Malik earlier Thursday said there were no air quality or chemical concerns outside the evacuation zone as fire officials continued to battle a large chemical fire at SMB Products on Rosemary Boulevard.
Fire crews were first called to the business at about 1:15 p.m. on Thursday, encountering black smoke and flames. SMB Products provides chemical packaging services for aerosols and liquids. Chemicals burning in the fire include methanol, propane and xylene.
“Due to the nature of the chemicals present and the extent of the flames, fire companies used a defensive mode for approaching the fire,” reads a Thursday evening update from the Akron Fire Department.