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The
blaze at a plastics recycling facility in Richmond, Indiana, a
city of 35,000 about 70 miles (113 km) east of Indianapolis,
started on Tuesday afternoon in a semi-trailer parked behind a
warehouse before spreading to the rest of the 13.8-acre
(5.58-hectare) site.
The My Way Trading facility had six buildings, according to Tim
Brown, the city's fire chief. Firefighters have successfully
prevented the flames from spreading beyond the property, and
about 90% of the fire is out.
"Each one of those buildings was full of those plastics from
floor to ceiling and wall to wall, and I would say 100% of that
has been consumed," he said at a news briefing on Thursday
afternoon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency detected asbestos in
one sample of debris that had been blown away from the fire,
said Jason Sewell, an EPA on-scene coordinator.
The agency is monitoring dozens of sites around town and has not
yet detected toxic compounds, Sewell said. But the smoke
contains particulate matter, which can cause respiratory and
other health problems.
Officials again warned residents who smell or see smoke to
shelter in place, keeping windows and doors shut and turning off
their heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
The owner of the property had previously been cited for safety
violations, and the site was under a cleanup order, officials
said.
Some 2,000 people living within a 1/2-mile (0.8 km) radius have
been ordered to leave their homes, and schools were closed on
Wednesday and Thursday. Two firefighters have suffered minor
injuries.
The American Red Cross is operating a shelter at a local church
for displaced residents.
"I'm isolated here. Feeling like I'm the lone survivor of an
apocalypse," Richmond resident Derek Crane said on Facebook.
"I'm exaggerating, of course, but don't discount the seriousness
of the smoke."
(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago and Joseph Ax in New
York; editing by Jonathan Oatis and Sandra Maler)
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