Chemical Causes Fire Danger At Wichita Plant

April 20 - Leaking chemicals at a Wichita plant cause a scare in one neighborhood. The chemicals sparked a small fire and firefighters were concerned it could lead to an even bigger fire.

The chemical that caused all the commotion is a mixture of sodium nitrate and potassium nitrate. It's very similar to table salt. But it's heated to 920 degrees. So when a leak developed in the tank, the hot liquid caused a fire danger.

Plant manager Kyle Smith says there were concerns electrical and hydraulic equipment inside the plant could catch fire if exposed to the hot salt.

Firefighters contacted Horace Mann and asked them to go into a lockdown situation and nearby roads were closed for much of the morning.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the small fire quickly, but fixing the leak was a lengthy process. The city brought in three tons of sand to help channel it out.

The liquid eventually hardens, then it can be removed.

After the threat was gone, employees at Apex resumed work.