Hampshire Fire Protection District detects hazardous substance at a local business

HAMPSHIRE — On May 10 at approximately 5:40 p.m., the Hampshire Fire Protection District received a non-emergency call from employees of a local coffee shop regarding an unknown odor.

Upon the arrival of Fire Engine 1411 at the Hampshire Social (124 South State Street), fire department personnel noted that there was an odor of ammonia in the back area of the coffee shop. At 5:43 p.m., the whole building was immediately evacuated.

The Hampshire Fire Protection District stated that firefighters quickly made their way to the refrigerator/compressor room at Dreymiller & Kray, Inc., a nearby specialty butcher shop located at 140 South State Street. A strong odor of ammonia was detected at the establishment, with monitoring and pH paper confirming a hazardous substance.

The alarm was upgraded to a “Hazardous Material Box Alarm,” which brought the arrival of several Hazardous Material Technicians from nearby area fire departments.

“The Hazardous Material Team mitigated the incident at 9:30 p.m. Several units in the 100 block of South State Street were continuously monitored throughout the incident and were determined to be safe. The Hampshire Social was ventilated and monitoring determined it to be safe. Two people were treated by EMS (Emergency Medical Services) at the scene,” said the Hampshire Fire Protection District in a press release statement.

The Hampshire Social was able to open back up for business the following day at 6:30 a.m. after getting the all-clear from the fire department.

“Thanks to the Hampshire Fire Protection District we are open and ready to serve you,” wrote the coffee shop on its Facebook page on May 11.

Dreymiller & Kray, Inc. was handed over to its owner who was also ordered to contact a licensed refrigerator company to inspect the equipment at the business.

The Hampshire Building Department (Safebuilt), the Village of Hampshire, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Kane County Health Department all responded to the situation.

The Hampshire Police Department and the Kane County Office of Emergency Management assisted with the street closures. The Geneva Fire Department and Marengo Fire Protection District covered for the Hampshire Fire Protection District and handled additional calls during the incident.