Residents in a five-mile radius of Rochester were advised to stay indoors for more than eight hours Friday night and again Saturday morning after a chemical fire at a former industrial site along the Ohio River. The initial call was received just after 9pm Friday that the former Beaver Alkali Products property on New York Ave was on fire and emitting yellow smoke.

Rochester Fire Chief Michael Mamone III said six dumpsters adjacent to the site, which is part of a project overseen by the state Department of Environmental Protection, could cause additional chemical releases if the chlorine tablets inside spontaneously combust again.

The first advisory was lifted just before 5 a.m. Saturday but was reissued mid-morning. The second advisory was lifted at noon.

Mamone added – if residents sense a strong smell of chlorine, they should stay indoors and close their windows.