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Richmond, Indiana, facility fire

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Coordinates: 39°50′15″N 84°54′20″W / 39.83750°N 84.90556°W / 39.83750; -84.90556
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Richmond, Indiana facility fire
Smoke from the fire as viewed from the Walk of Fame just south of the Starr–Gennett building
Date(s)April 11–16, 2023[a]
LocationRichmond, Indiana, United States
Coordinates39°50′15″N 84°54′20″W / 39.83750°N 84.90556°W / 39.83750; -84.90556
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries2 firefighters
Ignition
CauseSemi-trailer catching on fire
Map
Richmond, Indiana, facility fire is located in Indiana
Richmond, Indiana, facility fire
Location of Richmond facility fire in Indiana

On the afternoon of April 11, 2023, a large-scale industrial fire impacted a recycling processing facility and its surrounding area in Richmond, Indiana, United States. The facility, a former industrial plant, had already been designated as a fire hazard after inflammable materials were located near the property line of the building; an excessive amount of plastic was stored at the facility as well. Additionally, the building had structural problems and numerous roof leaks, and one of the facility buildings did not have a fire sprinkler.

The fire began after a semi-trailer carrying plastic materials behind the building became engulfed in flames, prompting response from emergency management agencies, including the Indiana State Police. An evacuation was ordered for nearly 2,000 people outside of the facility fire area, and a car show was postponed in Preble County, Ohio, after debris from the fire was found there. Two firefighters sustained injuries, including one who injured his ankle after a fall down a ravine. The fire was contained on April 16, six days after it started. In its aftermath, the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management evaluated hazards from the facility fire, and the former agency took samples from the fire in May 2023 that contained asbestos, benzene, and lead.

Background

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The facility in Richmond was a former Hoffco/Comet Industrial plant[2] which closed in 2009.[3] The building was later renamed My Way Trading Warehouse, and plastic materials were contained there.[4][5] The building was previously cited for numerous violations by Richmond's Unsafe Building Commission starting in 2019, due to numerous roof leaks and structural problems.[5][6] Additionally, the facility was also described as a fire hazard after inflammable materials were in close proximity to the property line.[6] The building also had a disproportionately large amount of plastic being stored, and a fire sprinkler system was not included at one of the facility buildings.[6] There were a few minor fire-code violations at the facility as well.[6] According to Seth Smith, who owned the recycling company of the facility—then named Cornerstone Trading Group—at that time, the auction company that sold the land to him allegedly had destroyed the fire sprinkler system of that building prior to the ownership change.[6]

Following the Unsafe Building Commission's findings, Smith filed an appeal in November 2019 seeking judicial review of the findings.[7] The Wayne Circuit Court affirmed the commission's orders and found that the evidence established that the site was a fire hazard "unsafe to people and property".[8][6][7] Smith was given 90 days to eliminate fire and other safety hazards on the property.[9]

The City of Richmond seized two of the three land parcels at the facility in 2022 after Smith did not pay his property taxes.[6]

Fire

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View of the fire from the South A Street bridge at 3:52 PM local time on April 11, 2023

The fire occurred on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, around 3 p.m. EDT, when a semi-trailer carrying plastics behind the recycling processing facility was engulfed in flames.[10][11] Numerous emergency responders, including the Indiana State Police and sheriff departments from Richmond, Indiana and Wayne County, Indiana, assisted with evacuations.[12][13][14] Described as "serious" and "large-scale" by Richmond mayor Dave Snow,[15] the fire prompted an evacuation/shelter in place order for areas 0.5 miles (0.8 km) outside of the incident area, which included nearly 2,000 people.[12][16][17] As a result of the smoke stemming from the fire, Randolph and Wayne counties were under alerts for poor air qualities.[18][19] The situation became more problematic after some bystanders moved closer to the fire with explosions occurring at the same time.[14]

Easterly winds blew smoke across the Indiana–Ohio border approximately one hour after the fire began.[20] Smoke was spotted as far away as Connersville, Indiana, and Oxford, Ohio.[14] Debris from the fire was found as far as New Paris, Ohio,[21] and other portions of Preble County, which postponed a car show.[22] Additionally, the fire was spotted from satellite images, weather radars, and traffic cameras.[23][24][25] Two firefighters were injured, including one who sustained a minor injury to his ankle after a fall down a ravine.[1][26]

Aftermath

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The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) evaluated hazards that resulted from the fire several hours after it began.[14][27] The piles of plastic scattered across roads made it difficult for first responders and emergency management to access the fire site.[28] The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency requested assistance from other nearby agencies.[16] The Richmond Community School District canceled all classes on April 12, and virtual classes were held by the Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Richmond as well.[10][29] A nearby church was designated as a temporary shelter.[4][30] The evacuation order was later lifted on April 16, and residents within the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) radius of the site were allowed to return to their homes.[31]

On April 20, a class action lawsuit was filed against Smith and the Cornerstone Trading Group by two Richmond residents and a business, who were seeking $25,000 in damages along with legal fees.[32][33] In July, Dave Snow, mayor of Richmond, Indiana, and city attorney Andrew Sickman were subpoenaed as third party defendants after a 19-point dismissal was filed by Smith and his attorneys implicating that city of Richmond was liable for the fire based on ownership of the property.[34] The lawsuit was moved to a federal court in March 2024.[33]

The EPA took 54 debris and soil samples around one month after the fire containing asbestos, benzene, and lead, which were confirmed three months later.[35] The samples were published in a study by the agency, which also showed that higher levels of chloroform and volatile organic compounds were present, along with other chemicals.[36] Higher than normal levels of metals, including aluminium and zinc, were also detected.[37]

On July 3, 2023, Cornerstone Trading Group, LLC. filed a lawsuit against the city of Richmond, which claimed that city officials, in 2021, were already aware of concerns of the building after obtaining it.[9] The documents state that the fire happened on the property were buildings owned by the city and the company therefore did not "cause or contribute the release of any hazardous substances", nor were they liable for the incident.[9]

The EPA began removing debris from the site of the fire around seven months after it began, which cost $3.3 million.[38] The cleanup of hazardous materials, which included the removal of over 6,000 tonnes (13,000,000 lb) of debris and 850 tonnes (1,870,000 lb) of steel, was competed in March 2024.[18][39][40] The materials that were removed from the site were then transferred to a landfill mandated by the EPA.[41] The cleanup of non-hazardous materials at the site were turned over to the city of Richmond.[40]

Notes

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  1. ^ Containment date on April 16, 2023[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hamrick, Brian (April 16, 2023). "Officials: Richmond industrial fire 'under control' but residents urged to stay away from site". WLWT. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  2. ^ "Large fire causes evacuation order in Richmond near Ohio line". Terre Haute Tribune-Star. Associated Press. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  3. ^ "Indiana-Ohio border city evacuated due to fire". Fox News. Associated Press. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Christy, Matt (April 11, 2023). "Evacuation order issued as large fire breaks out in Richmond". WXIN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Diaz, Johnny (April 12, 2023). "Fire With Toxic Fumes Could Burn for Days in Indiana, Officials Warn". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Murphy, Paul P. (April 13, 2023). "A 2019 hearing detailed potential fire hazards at the now-burning Indiana recycling plant, and its owner admitted a building did not have fire sprinklers". CNN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Truitt, Jason (March 5, 2020). "Judge affirms city's order that recycling company clean up its property". Palladium-Item. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Emery, Mike; Hardie, Chris (April 13, 2023). "Fire fatigue: Evacuation order remains as officials work to assess health impact". Western Wayne News. Archived from the original on April 20, 2023. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Frazier III, Tyrone (July 5, 2023). "Richmond recycling company sues city, claims they knew about 'dangers of the building' before the fire". WXIN. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "Indiana recycling plant fire forces evacuation orders for thousands as it emits toxic smoke, officials say. And it could burn for days". WPSD-TV. CNN. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  11. ^ Smart, Sara; Yan, Holly; Wolfe, Elizabeth; Murphy, Paul P.; Alvarado, Caroll (April 13, 2023). "The fire at an Indiana plastics recycling plant keeps burning as residents wonder what's now in the air". CNN. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "Evacuations ordered as massive fire burns in Richmond". WTHR. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Keegan, Scott (April 11, 2023). "The Indiana State Police Pendleton District is currently assisting Wayne County Sheriff's Department and the Richmond Police Department with a factory fire at an abandoned Hofco building. We are currently evaluating a radius of 1/2 mile from the site. Please avoid the area". Twitter. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Piatt, Zach (April 11, 2023). "Industrial fire breaks out in Richmond, Indiana. Evacuation/shelter in place order given". Palladium-Item. Archived from the original on April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  15. ^ "Fire causes evacuation order in Indiana city near Ohio line". Associated Press. April 11, 2023. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Bice, Lydia (April 11, 2023). "Large scale fire causing evacuation order and shelter in place in Richmond, Indiana". WRGT-TV. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Vitucci, Eva C. M.; Oladeji, Oladayo; Presto, Albert A.; Cannon, Carolyn L.; Johnson, Natalie M. (May 6, 2024). "The application of PTR-MS and non-targeted analysis to characterize VOCs emitted from a plastic recycling facility fire". Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology: 1–8. doi:10.1038/s41370-024-00681-y. ISSN 1559-064X. Archived from the original on May 11, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024 – via Nature.
  18. ^ a b Fultz, Matthew; Johnson, Samantha (April 11, 2024). "1 year after massive fire, Richmond community still feeling impacts as city looks to future of property". WTHR. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  19. ^ "Huge factory fire in Richmond, Ind. leads to evacuations, toxicity warnings". Dayton Daily News. Associated Press. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  20. ^ Planalp, Brian (April 11, 2023). "WATCH: Massive fire prompts evacuation order in eastern Indiana city". WXIX-TV. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  21. ^ Vespa, Maggie; Guevara, Selina; Li, David K. (April 14, 2023). "Carcinogen found in debris 1.5 miles from Indiana plastics fire". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  22. ^ Balduf, Jen (April 19, 2023). "Debris from toxic Richmond fire lands in Preble County, cancels weekend car show". Dayton Daily News. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  23. ^ White, Jacqueline (April 11, 2023). "'Evacuate or shelter in place': Crews battle large industrial fire in Richmond". WRTV. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  24. ^ Tufts, John; Guadarrama, Jen (April 11, 2023). "Richmond industrial fire: Evacuation ordered". The Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  25. ^ Sanderson, Emily (April 11, 2023). "Large industrial fire breaks out in Richmond, Indiana; evacuation orders issued". WLWT. Archived from the original on April 11, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  26. ^ Piatt, Zach (April 12, 2023). "Updates on Richmond fire one day later; 'probably the largest fire I've seen in my career'". Palladium-Item. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  27. ^ Hardie, Chris (April 15, 2023). "Amid growing concerns, environmental, health impacts of fire remain unclear". Western Wayne News. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  28. ^ Jimenez, Omar; Kapp, Bonney; Smart, Sara; Goodman, Brenda; Krupa, Michelle; Yan, Holly (April 12, 2023). "Massive inferno billowing toxic smoke from recycling plant known as a 'fire hazard' forces evacuation orders for thousands, officials say. It could burn for days". CNN. Archived from the original on April 12, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  29. ^ "Richmond Community Schools announce Wednesday closure". WISH-TV. April 12, 2023. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  30. ^ Montgomery, Gregg (April 11, 2023). "Large industrial fire leads to evacuation in Richmond". WISH-TV. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  31. ^ Salahieh, Nouran; Moshtaghian, Artemis (April 16, 2023). "Evacuation orders lifted for residents impacted by Indiana recycling plant fire". CNN. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
  32. ^ Kenney, Kara (April 21, 2023). "Richmond residents file class action lawsuit against property owner over massive fire". WRTV. Archived from the original on April 28, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  33. ^ a b Adams, Matt (March 29, 2024). "Lawsuit over Richmond fire moves to federal court". WXIN. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  34. ^ Howell Jr., James (July 5, 2023). "Richmond mayor, city attorney subpoenaed in warehouse fire civil lawsuit". WRTV. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2023.
  35. ^ "Multiple toxins confirmed in April warehouse fire in Richmond, Ind". Journal-News. August 23, 2023. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
  36. ^ Schroeder, Joe (August 22, 2023). "EPA finds lead, benzene in Richmond fire debris; asbestos 'not detected'". WXIN. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  37. ^ "EPA test results show elevated lead, aluminum levels at Richmond warehouse fire site; expert says results shouldn't worry nearby residents". WTHR. August 23, 2023. Archived from the original on May 16, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  38. ^ Figueroa, Alejandro (November 14, 2023). "U.S. EPA begins $3.3M cleanup at Richmond property, site of massive industrial fire". WYSO. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  39. ^ Hawkins, KaJéza; King, Channing; Pearson, Alex (April 10, 2024). "Effects of toxic Richmond fire still linger one year later". WDTN. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Falloon, Gwyneth (April 11, 2024). "Cleanup continues in Richmond, Indiana a year after massive industrial fire". WKEF. Archived from the original on April 23, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  41. ^ Weaver, Evan (April 12, 2024). "One year later: City of Richmond gives statement on My Way Trading Warehouse fire". Palladium-Item. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
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