VIDEO: Mechanical problems at a Tacoma industrial plant are the likely cause for an early morning fire that triggered explosions and spewed toxic chemicals into the air. It took several hours for Tacoma firefighters to put the fire out but a special Hazmat Team that prepares for these types of fires helped minimize the impact on the environment and made sure nobody got hurt. It was about 4:15 in the morning on Sunday when Tacoma firefighters rushed out to the Gardner Fields plant on Taylor Way where they heard explosions and saw huge flames as they arrived. Before putting anything on the flames, they turned off natural gas and electricity to the plant and then firefighters sprayed a foam water mixture. The State Department of Ecology and Tacoma Environmental Services responded to make sure the runoff wouldn't get into nearby waters. The burning asphalt put potentially dangerous chemicals in the air.