Hazmat teams from the Richmond Fire Department were called to a Park & Recreation facility on Swan Lake Drive this afternoon. Several streets through the Byrd Park area were closed to traffic as the swarm of first responders from across the city clogged the narrow lanes.

...DEVELOPING...

UPDATE 6:44 PM - LaptopMnky tweets: @tensouth [1] I'm always a little disappointed when there's no alarmist headline in the picture :( ex: ARBOREAL ATTACK!

Without having information on the extent of injuries to city employees it would be a mistake to blast the roof off with one of our sensational headlines.

UPDATE 5:37 PM -

WTVR reports [2] - Spokesperson Shawn Jones with the Richmond fire department, says City workers were transporting a 55 gallon drum that somehow ended up in the park area.

Inside the drum was an unknown substance, believed to be some form of chlorine, that caught fire.

Jones says City workers tried to put the fire out with water, but that only made it worse.

Read More From WTVR [3]

UPDATE 5:22 PM - WTVR reports that a parks department employee was carrying a container of chlorine and that chemical spilled into another product causing fumes. Workers tried using water to extinguish the reaction and that caused the concoction to catch fire.

Representatives from the Department of Environmental Quality and EPA are now on scene to determine how to proceed with this dangerous situation. WTVR speculates that an evacuation of nearby homes may be necessary. Several roads around and through Byrd Park remain closed at this time.

UPDATE 4:35 PM - Fire Department spokesperson Shawn Jones tells 10SBoulevard.com that a chemical product inside the facility is creating fumes. No details on injuries or the specific chemical release are available at this time.