A chemical fire near the Davison Building ignited Sunday afternoon, temporarily closing the Allen Building parking lot and parts of the Duke University Medical Center.
No one was killed or injured in the blaze, which began after a Carolina Restoration and Water Proofing contractor's container overflowed, said First Sergeant Jeffrey Best of the Duke University Police Department.
Officials have no estimate as to the cost of the damages, although the fire did not damage any Medical Center buildings.
"[The contractor was] cleaning the stone, resealing the stone," Best said. "They were using a [weatherproofing] chemical, a Chem-Trete, mixing it in a container. The container overflowed, and sprayed onto the engine of a crane nearby, which started the blaze."
The fire then spread to a nearby vehicle filled with flammable chemicals and fuel.
Capt. Barb Phillips of the Durham Fire Department said station No. 2 on Ninth Street got a call at 1:08 p.m. Sunday afternoon and had dispatched vehicles five minutes later.
"We had a good knock-down within five minutes," she said. "We did not have it out that quick, but had most of it knocked down.... It was not as bad as it sounded over the radio, or appeared upon initially seeing the fire."
Soon after, the police arrived and blocked off the entrance to the Allen Building parking lot and a number of entrances to Duke Clinic until the area was safe and the fire was extinguished.
Best said there were no injuries and that the six employees with the contractor were all secured away from the scene. The police then checked the Medical Center, cleared all buildings and floors and secured patients in their areas.
The incident occurred outdoors near the rear of the Davison Building by the purple zone and the loading dock area.
Phillips said the firefighters originally worried about the wind, but said that since it was blowing away from the building, the Medical Center was never in any serious danger.
Another potential problem, she said, was chemical contamination. A hazardous materials unit arrived on the scene, as did Duke's own environmental safety unit.
"The product most likely was burned up in the heat of the fire, so there were no runoff concerns," Phillips said. "Once we could identify the product, that alleviated a lot of fears. It wasn't as bad as it could have been."
Best said the container, truck, trailer and crane were all damaged or destroyed.
Richard Puff, a spokesperson for the Medical Center, said he did not have a figure for damages Sunday night but that one might be available in the next two days.
Duke has no fire service of its own, but pays Durham Fire Department an annual sum for services since the University pays no taxes under its non-profit status.
"I thought there might be a fire at Duke today, but I didn't know it would be like this, in this way," Phillips said, referencing the Duke-Maryland game, which was taking place at the same time.
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