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5-alarm fire engulfs industrial plastic bag manufacturer in Anjou

Click to play video: 'Five-alarm fire burns industrial building in Anjou'
Five-alarm fire burns industrial building in Anjou
WATCH ABOVE: A chemical fire in Anjou destroyed an industrial building Tuesday morning – Apr 4, 2017

A five-alarm fire hit Anjou’s industrial district early Tuesday morning.

The blaze started at 3:45 a.m. at a plastic bag manufacturing plant called Faspac Plastiks Inc., on Jules Léger Street, in between Ray Lawson and Parkway Boulevards.

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According to the fire department, employees told them the fire started when a solvent used to clean the printer was spilled onto the ground and somehow caught fire.

“When he put the rag down to absorb it [the solvent], at the same time, another employee was unwrapping a plastic roll to put on the machine. The static of the roll caught a spark and the puddle went up in flames,” said Faspac Plastiks President, Steven Polidoro.

There were about 10 employees in the building at the time the blaze.

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They all managed to escape unharmed.

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Between 100 and 140 firefighters were on hand.

The building’s roof collapsed around 6:30 a.m., making it difficult for firefighters to battle the flames.

“We’re trying with our water guns to get close to the fire,” said chief of operations at the Montreal Fire Department, John Primiani. “We have a pay loader coming over, to help us take the structure out and we’re gonna have better access to the centre of the fire.”

WATCH BELOW: Industrial chemical fire destroys print-shop in Anjou. Global’s Felicia Parrillo reports.
Click to play video: 'Industrial chemical fire destroys plastic bag manufacturer in Anjou'
Industrial chemical fire destroys plastic bag manufacturer in Anjou

According to Faspac Plastiks’ President, they purchased the building in January.

They had recently finished renovations and were in the process of moving in.

They were in their first week of production.

The fire department said Hydro-Quebec shut down the electricity in the area as a security precaution.

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Environment Quebec was on-site to ensure air quality levels were safe for the public.

— with files from Global’s Felicia Parrillo and Yannick Gadbois.

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