Area fire crews responded to a fire in the early hours of Monday morning at a Carus Chemical facility in the 1500 block of Eighth Street in La Salle.

La Salle Fire Chief Jerry Janick said that the dispatch call came in at 2:49 a.m. and the first unit arrived on the scene one minute later.

Janick said there were no injuries to any of the 11 employees at the scene or response personnel, or structural damage, and all units cleared the scene at 3:21 a.m.

“The source was determined to be a malfunctioning air handler unit,” Janick said. “The power to the unit was disconnected and crews checked for fire extension.”

Janick said that personnel at the facility discharged a fire extinguisher on the unit prior to the fire department arriving on the scene.

Carus Senior Communications Manager Jake Kowalczyk said that the company responded to a small fire involving an HVAC unit above one of its operator control rooms.

Kowalczyk said that the fire was contained to the equipment and the immediate surrounding area.

“The HVAC incident is under review and is a routine procedure any time something like this occurs,” Kowalczyk said. “Many thanks to the La Salle Fire Department for their quick response and for ensuring the small fire was contained and out.”

Personnel from the Peru, Utica and Oglesby fire departments, and Peru Ambulance and the La Salle Police Department provided support for the situation.

“The safety of our people and facility is a top priority, so numerous protocols are in place regarding fire safety, including our Emergency Action Plan,” Kowalczyk said. “We also conduct ongoing safety drills with local responders, and our employees undergo mandatory fire extinguisher training.”