The release of a noxious cloud of chlorine gas at Hawkins Chemical Co. early Friday has raised questions about why the southeast Minneapolis firm has had a second chemical fire in less than two years.

The accident in a storage building caused no serious injuries, but it required the evacuation of several hundred nearby residents and workers during the eight-hour emergency.

Officials reopened E. Hennepin Av. to traffic Friday afternoon. Three firefighters received minor injuries when they came in contact with the chemical.

Rachelle Hericks and her family were among those forced to leave their homes in a University of Minnesota student housing complex after the last fire at Hawkins in February 1995. . . .