Kent Police blocked off the first floor of the parking garage next to city hall Tuesday so fire officials could determine what type of chemicals were being carried in the back of a pickup parked on the first level.
Kent firefighters and the Kent Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team were working late Tuesday afternoon with the state Department of Ecology to investigate the chemicals, according to a Kent Fire Department media release.
Kent Police were first notified of the chemicals by a woman who found them near a dumpster in Kent. Concerned for animals near the dumpster, the woman placed the chemicals in the back of her pickup truck and eventually brought them to the Kent Police Department, parking on the first floor of the three-story parking garage next to city hall and the Centennial Building.
After determining that the chemicals could pose a potential hazard to the community and city workers, officers quickly alerted firefighters and requested the Department of Ecology to investigate. The first floor of the parking garage was cordoned off as a precaution.
More than 50 containers of various sizes have been cataloged by investigators. Most of the chemicals appear to be similar to what would be found in a high school or college chemistry lab, fire officials said.
Several of the chemicals have not been identified. None of the chemicals were leaking or creating an environment hazard.
State ecology officials plan to remove the chemicals from the garage and properly dispose of them. Officials also will investigate where the chemicals were found and where they may have originated.
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