Quick work by firefighters prevented an explosion during a fire at pharmaceutical plant in Chestnut Ridge this morning.

Fire officials say an exterior air scrubber outside of Par Pharmaceutical malfunctioned and caught fire around 8 a.m. today. They say the fire could have caused an explosion if not dealt with properly.

Crews spent two hours spraying the scrubber with water. "Once we were able to introduce water into it, being that it's inside a steel structure, the buildup of steam was our number one concern. Where it could have exploded and sent shrapnel into the firemen and trucks, so safety was our number one concern on this one,” says South Spring Valley Fire Department Assistant Chief Carmine Caruso.

The building was partially evacuated because of the smoke and flames. No one was injured, and Par Pharmaceutical is back up and running.