State Fire Marshal’s Office warns about potential danger of colored powders

The State Fire Marshal’s Office on Thursday issued a warning about the possible fire dangers of the colored powders being used at a variety of public events around the country.

Colored powders ignited at an event in Taiwan on June 27, injuring or burning more than 500 people.

A Color Vibe 5K run is set for 9 a.m. Saturday on the grounds of the former Kansas Coliseum.

Officials have been in contact with the organizers of Saturday’s race “just to make sure what safety measures are in place,” said Kevin Doel, public information officer for the State Fire Marshal’s Office .

The U.S. events use food grade cornstarch, according to the website of Color Vibe, the race’s sponsor. Cornstarch is combustible if the concentration levels are high enough and there is access to oxygen and an ignition source, Doel said.

Unlike the event in Taiwan, which was indoors inside a large drained swimming pool, Saturday’s race will be outdoors, Doel said.

“They look like they’ve taken a number of precautions” for Saturday’s race, Doel said of the event organizers.

“They try to restrict the ignition sources, which is good,” he said. “They don’t use electronic devices to distribute the powders.”

Electronic devices could be the source of a spark that could ignite the powders if they’re in an enclosed environment at a high concentration level, he said. In addition, smoking is prohibited at the event.

“It’s not a similar event” to what happened in Taiwan, Doel said of Saturday’s race. “We just need people to be aware” of the risk.

Race organizers have not responded to e-mail questions about precautions being taken to ensure the safety of participants in the race. A Facebook page for the event indicated more than 700 plan to attend.

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 12:10 PM with the headline "State Fire Marshal’s Office warns about potential danger of colored powders."