Bulging Drum at Electronics Plant Triggers Evacuation

A sealed drum filled with a 50% hydrogen peroxide solution developed a worrisome bulge Wednesday morning at an electronics plant in Cazenovia, New York, forcing firefighters to intervene.

“The building was evacuated with no worker or citizen exposures or injuries,” a Facebook page for the Madison County Office of Emergency Management reports.

The emergency at Knowles Capacitors was particularly concerning because the waste solution shared a storage room with plastic drums of volatile methanol, better known as wood alcohol. The Syracuse Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team, stationed 20 miles away, responded to the scene.

Firefighters depressurized the drum and the entire incident was under control in about an hour, the Facebook page states.