SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Authorities say a malfunctioning fire suppression system led to the release of hundreds of gallons of fire-fighting foam at the Vermont National Guard base in South Burlington Thursday night.
Vermont National Guard officials say about 800 gallons of the concentrated aqueous film-forming foam was released into a building and that they are working with local agencies to contain the spill.
They say no one was in the building at the time.
The foam, which is frequently used by the military to fight flammable liquid fires, can contain toxic chemicals — including PFAS — that can cause serious health problems, including cancer, according to the EPA.
While the state of Vermont in recent years has worked to phase out the use of the toxic firefighting foam, it is still used by the military because of its effectiveness in rapidly putting out fires.