A mechanical failure sparked a chemical fire Friday at a plant at the edge of North Lawrence, spewing billowing plumes of smoke but causing no injuries.

The fire occurred about 11:20 a.m. at Peak Chemical, a phosphorous pentasulfide plant adjacent to Astaris, 440 N. Ninth St. The plant’s product, known as P2S5, is used as a lubricant in motor oil.

Peak officials immediately shut down the plant, cutting the supply of chemicals that fed the blaze for nearly an hour. Employees and emergency officials advised nearby residents of the situation, and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office barricaded nearby roads as a precaution.

Smoke from the burning chemicals was quickly dissipated by a breeze that was surprisingly light on humidity, said Paula Phillips, the county’s director of emergency management. None of Peak’s 11 employees on site were injured, and all were safely evacuated.

“There was no public health problem or issue at all,” Phillips said. “If you were standing up there and breathing it, it would definitely be an irritant. But nobody received that kind of dosage. It was so minimal, we didn’t notice it at all, even right there on the ground.

“It looked a lot worse than it was, because of all the smoke. But it was a very manageable event. We were very fortunate.”

Emergency crews had braced for the worst. Lawrence Douglas County Fire & Medical sent 32 people to the scene, where they were joined by 13 from the Overland Park Fire Department and another three from the county’s volunteer hazardous materials team.

Peak’s own fire brigade initially responded to the fire, which started when one of the plant’s chemicals — either phosphorous, which is a raw material; or P2S5, the finished product — was exposed to air, said Bill Sichko, the company’s chief administrative officer. Either chemical’s exposure to outside air would cause a fire, which is why all of the plant’s systems are enclosed.

The mechanical failure was particularly unusual, he said, because of the amount of material exposed. Even a spoonful of the granular chemical can produce a large amount of smoke.

“This was more than a normal spill,” he said.

All the commotion was enough to prompt evacuation of nearby Bismarck Gardens, a popular outpost for fresh sweet corn at 1616 N. 1700 Road.

“We had people in the field and customers in the building,” said Pat Ross, a co-owner of the business. “I don’t feel like there was any immediate danger, but you don’t want to take any chances.”

The nature of the spill did not require involvement from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said Julie Coleman, the agency’s director in Lawrence. Likewise, the Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department was not involved, administrator Kay Kent said.

Lenexa-based Peak bought the plant in 2000 from Astaris, which has plants next door for phosphorous, phosphates and phosphoric acid. Astaris’ operations — which produce food-grade phosphates for use in soft drinks, toothpaste and other products — were unaffected during the fire, said Karen Schuyler, Astaris’ Lawrence manager.

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Peak intends to resume operations once the fire’s specific cause is located and any problems fixed, a process likely to be finished by Sunday, Sichko said.

The plant, which has a total of 26 employees, is capable of producing 125,000 pounds of phosphorous pentasulfide a day. Officials were still investigating how costly the damage from the blaze was.

Staff writer Eric Weslander contributed to this story.