FORT SMITH (KFSM) -- The Fort Smith Police Department lobby was temporarily closed Tuesday (Nov. 4) following an officer coming into contact with a residue, later discovered to be lye, an individual was covered in.
Late Monday night (Nov. 3) into Tuesday morning, a male came into the entrance hall of the Fort Smith Police Department wearing only a coat and covered in burns. An officer came into contact with the individual and was exposed to lye.
Lye, one of the main component of homemade soaps, can burn skin, blindness, and can be lethal if ingested.
The Fort Smith Fire Department responded to the police department with a hazmat crew. The officer was treated and released, and the man covered in lye was taken to a local hospital for further treatment.
The Fort Smith Police Department lobby has been reopened following the incident.