Lithium powder fire injures five

Several crews from the Orlando Fire Department arrived on the scene of a hazmat fire that broke out around 8:20 a.m. Thursday in the Tangelo Park area of Orange County. Firefighters say five people were injured in the office complex fire that took place on the 7600 block of Municipal Drive. Orlando Fire Department Chief Charlie Salazar hosted a press conference following the incident around 9:45 a.m.

Salzar said the fire was caused by lithium powder kept on site at the L3Harris Coleman Aerospace facility. Because lithium is a flammable metal, firefighters could not use water on the fire, the chief said. "This could have been a very dangerous situation," he said. "We had to approach this very carefully." Although the smoke was not discovered to be especially toxic in the boundaries outside the fire, firefighters said the neighborhood to the east of the area was isolated as a precaution. The Orange County Sheriff's Office and the Orlando Police Department helped to encourage residents to turn off their air conditioners and stay indoors so they were not exposed.