FORWARD TWP — Authorities say BASF officials extinguished a fire that erupted Wednesday night in a building at the company’s chemical facility on Mars-Evans City Road.

Several fire departments were deployed shortly after 8:40 p.m. but BASF Corp.’s on-site emergency response team handled the blaze.

No one was reported injured and there was no chemical release as a result of the fire, officials said.

The fire posed no risk to the community, said Steve Bicehouse, director of Butler County emergency services.

“Nothing was deemed a health hazard,” he said.

Bicehouse, who was at the plant in service as the fire chief for the Evans City Volunteer Fire Company, noted that his assessment followed discussion with Scott Hoffman, the county’s hazardous materials specialist.

Dennis Kimmel, BASF’s emergency response coordinator declined to comment this morning. He referred questions to Debra Mastrostefano, an engineering manager and member of the crisis management team at the company.

Mastrostefano did not immediately return a telephone call.

A 911 caller reported the fire and described seeing flames from one of the buildings in the middle of the facility, according to a dispatcher.

Along with the Evans City department, firefighters from the Harmony Fire District, Adams Area Fire District and Callery were sent to the plant.

The volunteer fire crews remained in the parking lot while the BASF response team battle the blazed internally, authorities said.

“There was definitely something on fire,” said Neal Nanna, chief of the Harmony Fire District. “Flames were visible on the roof line.

The fire, he said, was coming from a large metal pole building, one of several on the vast BASF complex.

The volunteer fire crews got the word to clear out at 10:10 p.m.