BOYNTON — A hazardous materials removal company has been called in to dispose of decades-old science class chemicals found in the Boynton-Moton Schools’ bus barn.

The Muskogee Fire Department’s Hazmat unit spent at least five hours at the school Tuesday investigating and doing inventory on boxes of chemicals found in the bus barn’s office.

Students and faculty were sent home Tuesday morning before the Hazmat team arrived, School Superintendent Shelby Williams said. Williams, who has been superintendent since the start of the 2009-2010 school year, said an attorney advised her not to comment. The school had about 101 students in the 2009 school year, according to the Oklahoma Department of Education.

Robert Adair, special operations officer for the Muskogee Fire Department’s Hazmat Unit, said Williams told him about the chemicals Monday afternoon. The bus barn is located across a parking lot from the classroom building and playground.

“We came out and looked at them,” Adair said.

The chemicals were like those found in school classrooms, including ammonia, alcohols, sulfates and sulfurs, he said.

“They were all in such small amounts, but they were just very old and in deteriorating conditions,” Adair said, adding that chemicals could cause reactions if they mixed together.

He said the boxes included glass jars and plastic containers, as well as boxes with salt-like substances.

Muskogee Fire Chief Derek Tatum said the chemicals dated to the 1960s and 1970s and could have been used in science classes. He said containers and amounts ranged from a few ounces to gallon jars.

“We were surprised at the number of chemicals we found,” Tatum said. “We notified the Department of Environmental Quality of the situation and called in a Hazmat mediation company, Sooner Emergency Clean-up, to clear away the chemicals.”

He said the fire department team left before the clean-up team arrived.

Tatum said that when the fire department examined the boxes Monday, “We looked at the top boxes and backed out.”

Tatum said he did not know how long the boxes were in the bus barn office.

“With the deterioration of the boxes, something had to be done,” Adair said.

He said the school was looking for someone to help dispose of the chemicals, but could not afford to pay for removal.

During Tuesday’s investigation, nearby residents were notified of the presence of chemicals, but were not evacuated, said Jimmy Moore, Muskogee Emergency Management director.

Debi Wedding, who lives about a block from the school bus barn, said she and her husband heard a fire truck go by their house Tuesday morning and worried that there was a fire at the school.



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