St. Louis chemical fire closes highway, forces evacuations

About 500 people were evacuated and a portion of I-44 closed early Monday as St. Louis firefighters battled a five-alarm chemical fire, the city’s fire chief said. Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, Chief Dennis Jenkerson said. The fire at Chemisphere Corp.’s west St. Louis storage yard involved tankers, rail cars and other storage tanks containing solvents, Jenkerson said. A Fire Department spokeswoman said the solvents were acetone and ethanol. The fire was under control as of about 6 a.m. CT. But when firefighters arrived at about 2:30 a.m., "We had the whole yard going," Jenkerson said.