County fire crews extinguish blue

SHAFTER — Kern County Fire Department crews dealt with an unusual chemical fire near 7th Standard Road and Zachary Avenue early Friday morning.

Around 3:30 a.m., crews were called out to what was initially reported as a vegetation fire. Upon arrival, they instead found a chemical that was burning blue in color and they retreated to a safe distance to call in additional equipment and specialized personnel.

The chemical was identified as 99% sulfur. Crews positioned themselves downwind and specialized monitoring equipment was set up to make sure the smoke drift did not affect residents in the area.

The fire was brought under control and personnel from the Kern County Environmental Health Services Department took over the scene. The cause of the fire was not determined.

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