(NewsNation) — Crews in Indiana continued to work Thursday in a smokey haze, pouring water and digging for hot spots after a major industrial fire earlier in the week.
Multiple fires that began burning Tuesday afternoon were still burning within about 14 acres of various types of plastics stored inside and outside buildings at the former factory site.
Fire Chief Tim Brown told reporters on Thursday afternoon that the fire is 90% extinguished, but he hopes to have it 98-99% out by the evening, or Friday morning.
He said there were six buildings full of plastics “floor to ceiling and wall to wall.”
How many people are affected?
The evacuation order affects thousands of people, The Associated Press reported.
Between 1,500 and 2,000 people who live within a half-mile of the plant were told to leave after the fire began, said David Hosick, spokesperson for the Indiana Department of Homeland Security.
How long will the evacuation last?
An evacuation order remains in place for those living within a half-mile of the site. Those outside the evacuation area are being told to shelter in place, turn off HVAC units, keep windows and doors closed and bring their pets inside.
The fire is currently under control, according to officials, and not expected to spread to surrounding properties. However, because of the fire and fuel being burned, the blaze is expected to continue producing smoke, soot and ash for several more days.
“Unfortunately, we are unable to provide an exact time or estimate when evacuation orders will be lifted,” the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency said on Facebook Tuesday. “We are waiting on air-monitoring testing and results.”
Wayne County Emergency Agency employees and the city of Richmond will keep its social media updated for more news on evacuations.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and won’t be until after the fire is extinguished, according to the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency.
It could take several weeks, especially as several agencies are involved.
Although no official cause has been released, Richmond’s mayor, David Snow, assigned much of the blame to the property owner, and said the city has been involved in litigation regarding the site.
“We just wish the property owner and the business owner would’ve taken this more serious from Day One,” Snow said. “This person has been negligent and irresponsible, and it’s led to putting a lot of people in danger.”
“My Way Trading,” the site of the fire, has been cited before for unsafe buildings and unsafe grounds, officials said.
Richmond officials said Seth Smith, who was operating the business, was barred from accepting more plastics to sell, following a 2020 cleanup order. However, he was able to keep selling a vast collection still on hand.
“Unfortunately with the pandemic, it became a down market,” city attorney Andrew Sickmann told reporters.
Smith was not able to be reached for comment by The Associated Press.
What were the health/environmental impacts?
According to NPR, the Environmental Protection Agency is monitoring air quality outside the half-mile evacuation zone to check for “harmful particulates and toxic compounds.”
The EPA’s Jason Sewell said at a Wednesday morning news conference reported on by NPR that agency staff is checking for “volatile” organic compounds, which could potentially be released when plastic burns.
“The toxic compounds that we’re looking for were not seen,” he said, although he added that any smoke inhalation can be dangerous. In addition, residents were told not to touch any debris from the factory as it could have asbestos. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said a team would collect the debris samples to see if asbestos contaminated any of it.
While the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the National Weather Service have issued Air Quality Action Days for both Wednesday and Thursday, the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency said this is simply due to increased smoke particles in the air.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.