Industrial Fire, Releases 'Toxic' Smoke, Leading to Evacuation Orders in Indiana.
On April 11, over 2,000 people were ordered
to evacuate their homes after a fire broke out
at an industrial site in Richmond, Indiana.
The Daily Beast reports that officials claim
the site was used to store a large quantity
of "unknown types" of plastics.
The massive fire released a towering plume
of smoke into the air before being contained
by firefighters several hours later.
According to Stephen Jones, a state fire marshal,
despite being "contained," the fire is expected
to continue burning "for a few days.".
The Daily Beast reports that officials offered
no timeline for how long completely
extinguishing the fire is expected to take.
Jones said that the evacuation zone, which
currently impacts over 2,000 people in
Wayne County, could change if the wind shifts.
The smoke is
definitely toxic.
We don’t want the
residents in the smoke, Stephen Jones, Indiana fire marshal, via WXIN.
Local Mayor David Snow told the Associated Press
that the 175,000-square-foot site has been
used to store plastics for recycling since 2009.
The Daily Beast reports that the site is located
70 miles east of Indianapolis, and only
four miles from Ohio's western border.
The Daily Beast reports that the site is located
70 miles east of Indianapolis, and only
four miles from Ohio's western border.
Snow said that the fire's impact on air quality
and surface water runoff is being assessed
by both state and federal regulators