Fire at Amherst industrial park closes down section of I-90, since reopened

Alexandra Weaver

[anvplayer video=”5045011″ station=”998131″]

AMHERST, N.Y. (WHEC/WGRZ) — A massive fire at an industrial park in Amherst, Erie County closed down all lanes on a section of I-90 for a time Tuesday night but they have since reopened.

The New York State Police tweeted at 9:05 p.m. saying all lanes are closed between mile marker 417.2 and mile marker 420.3. At about 9:50 p.m., it tweeted all lanes had reopened.

Our Buffalo-area affiliate, WGRZ reports the fire started at around 4:30 p.m. at 120 Earhart Drive at a business called Premium PPE, which makes masks and other personal protective equipment. Fire officials say there are chemical hazards inside the building so there could be toxic fumes.

There was also a confirmed explosion inside the building.

The chief of the Main-Transit Fire Department told WGRZ it’s unknown at this time how the fire started, and strongly encouraged people to evacuate the area. Crews say thunder and lightning impacted their effort to fight the fire.

WGRZ also reports that traffic at the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport is being impacted by the fire, but flights are not impacted at this time.