Local paper the Muskegon Chronicle reports that facility in Egelston Township was evacuated for three hours after the discovery of the fire, but that no one was injured and no chemicals were released.
Director of Operations Allan Shearer told the paper that the fire had begun in an exhaust duct carrying steam and fumes from a pigment-processing tank. Employees noticed the smoke at 7am, and promptly called firefighters to the scene, before eventually returning to work at 10am.
Gary Andrzejewski, Vice President of Environmental Affairs, commented: “We are cooperating with the fire department to determine the exact cause of the fire. We are gratified that there were no injuries to employees nor a significant interruption to the daily operations at the plant.
“We will replace the damaged duct and investigate the remainder of the building for other potential fire hazards to secure the safety of our employees at this plant. At Sun Chemical, we take these incidents very seriously and strive to maintain a safe workplace for all of our employees across the world.”
Sun Chemical also recently announced the latest in a string of price increases last Friday, with phthalocyanine green and blue pigments increasing due to rising raw material costs.