Brown snow fell in a Maine town. Here’s what officials say happened.

Snowfall is nothing new in Maine, but usually it’s white.

The east Maine town of Rumford experienced a rare weather event Tuesday in the form of brown snow, town officials confirmed on Facebook. A malfunction at a paper mill caused the release of spent black liquor, which sparked the bizarre coloring.

Officials warned residents not to touch the substance after initially saying some of the snow measured a pH level of 10, making the substance an alkali and a skin irritant. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection later tested the tan colored snow and found pH levels of “8 or lower,” the city said.

Black liquor is a by-product of the paper production process, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Photos captured the brown-looking snow spread across an open sports field.

The town said the mill has agreed to cover costs of third party testing of the snow.

Is the brown snow safe?

Although brown snow in Rumford, Maine is considered non-toxic, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection recommend avoiding contact with skin.

“We are confident that the public safety concerns are minimal at this time. In the meantime out of an abundance of caution please avoid ingesting or direct skin contact with the brown snow,” Rumford officials wrote on Facebook.

Town officials planned to notify the local school district inform children not to play with the brown snow, and recommended pet owners keep their animals away from it as well.

A rainy Wednesday in Rumford was expected to flush the substance off the ground and resident’s homes, the town’s Facebook page wrote. Any concerns relating to the brown snow can be addressed at the town manager’s office.