Investigators probe fire that destroyed half-dozen or more hot tubs, owned by Jelly Belly Pools, on Mill Street in Westfield

The presence of liquid chlorine in the building was a concern, but ultimately not a factor, in the blaze

Michael Gordon / The RepublicanInvestigators continue to probe the early Thursday morning blaze that destroyed a half-dozen or more hot tubs at Jelly Belly Pools & Spas storage building on Mill Street.

WESTFIELD – Investigators continue to probe an early Thursday morning fire that destroyed a half-dozen or more used hot tubs in a Mill Street storage building used by Jelly Belly Pools & Spas.

The presence of liquid chlorine in the building prompted Fire Chief Mary Regan to call in a regional hazardous materials response team to monitor the air at the scene, said Deputy Fire Chief James Kane.

The chlorine, however, several pallets worth, did not prove to be a factor in the blaze and remained safely contained. No injuries were reported.

“It was confined to the hot tubs.” Kane said, adding that there were six or eight of the tubs, also known as spas, stacked three or four high.

Cause of the fire remains undetermined. “There was no electrical ignition source,” Kane said. A state Trooper attached to the state Fire Marshal’s office was on the scene Thursday morning, he said,

The building at 77 Mill St., a former paper mill, is a short distance away from Jelly Belly’s showroom and retail operation at 58 Southwick Road. The business remains in operation, Kane said.

Kane said heavy black smoke could be seen coming from the windows when firefighters first arrived.

Firefighters cleared the scene shortly after 7:15 a.m. A damage estimate was not immediately available.