The Indiana recycling plant fire that prompted the evacuation of 2,000 people was successfully extinguished on Thursday after burning and spewing toxic smoke for days.
Richmond Mayor Dave Snow took to Twitter on Thursday to thank first responders for their hard work and said attention would now turn to the next steps, including determining when the evacuation order could be lifted.
“Just received a call from our Fire Chief, Tim Brown. The fire has been fully extinguished ahead of schedule,” Snow wrote. “We’re now able to turn our attention to collecting air and water samples to determine when the evacuation order can be lifted. Our Fire Dept is to be highly commended.”
The agency emphasized that it is closely monitoring the situation and will provide updates as they become available.
For now, the evacuation area remains within a 0.5-mile radius of the incident site. People outside the evacuation zone, particularly those downwind, were still advised to shelter in place with closed windows and doors, turned-off HVAC units if they draw outside air, and pets kept indoors.
According to that update, due to the nature of the fire and the materials that burned, smoke, soot, or burnt plastic smells are expected to continue for several more days. Authorities noted that the direction of the evacuation may change as the wind shifts.
Advice remains in place, warning residents not to disturb or touch any debris found, as preliminary results of debris tested by the EPA showed positive for asbestos materials. Further testing will determine how to dispose of debris properly.
Facility Previously Cited
According to officials in Richmond, the factory had been cited in the past for being unsafe.During a previous press briefing, Snow said that the owners of the recycling plant had “ignored” an order to address the state of the property, which he deemed a fire hazard.
Fire Chief Tim Brown said on Wednesday that the 175,000-square-foot facility was “completely full from floor to ceiling and from wall to wall” with materials.
“There’s plastics inside buildings, there’s plastics outside buildings, there’s plastics in semitrailers that are throughout the grounds here at the complex, so we’re dealing with many types of plastics. It’s very much a mess,” Brown said.
Brown said the city had pushed the owners of the facility to clean it up for some time before the fire.
The mayor accused the owner of the business and property of negligence and liability for the destruction, and he was insistent that the owner would be held responsible for their actions.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the building in question was once a Hoffco-Comet Industries plant that manufactured lawn and garden products before it was closed in 2009. The state fire marshal said it currently holds plastic recyclables.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is on the scene, and investigators are expected to enter the property in “days.”
Indiana State Fire Marshal Stephen Jones on Tuesday warned that the smoke is “definitely toxic,” and residents should not be exposed to it. He noted that plastics give off a “host of different chemicals” when on fire.
“We don’t want the residents in the smoke. As the wind changes, we may change the direction of the evacuations,” Jones said.
The recycling plant is located close to the Indiana–Ohio border. According to the fire chief, Brown, it is partially owned by the city of Richmond and partly by a private individual.
