An industrial fire that forced more than a thousand residents to evacuate in Richmond is still burning as of Wednesday afternoon. The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency said it’s expected to burn for several days — which makes it’s unclear when residents will be able to go home.
You can see the fire from plastics burning at the two warehouses from miles away. The buildings were formerly owned by My Way Trading — which was cited for several violations in the past including creating a fire hazard.
Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said the city bought part of the property from My Way Trading to hold the business owner accountable for cleaning up the site.
“They are still accountable for everything on this site, for every bit of the mess on this site. They’re responsible for the fire that has happened and all of the damage that’s ensued afterward,” he said.
The Environmental Protection Agency said it’s testing to see if smoke from the burnt plastic could contain cancer-causing chemicals like benzene — but for now, they’ve only found particle pollution. Exposure to it can still cause lung and heart problems — especially for people with conditions like asthma or COPD.
READ MORE: Massive Richmond fire prompts evacuations and concerns
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Wendy Snyder and her family live only a block away from the fire. They spent the night at the Oak Park Pentecostal Church where the American Red Cross is providing shelter and supplies.
She and her husband didn’t get much sleep. Snyder said she’s glad her family, friends and neighbors all seem to be safe.
“We are glad that everybody had a place to go to. For us, we’re still a little crazy, but we’re doing OK. And so I’m hoping everybody else is too,” she said.
They were told it could be at least three days before they can go home. Some schools in the area were also closed.
Benny and Patti Young live on the east side of Richmond. They watched as the smoke came their direction.
“What we’re thinking is, ‘My gosh, what happens when this bad smoke stuff starts coming down into our — we’d better be thinking about leaving or something,'” Benny Young said.
Young said they decided to stay put, but they kept their windows closed for most of the evening. He said the smoke passed over their area and they only noticed a light smell.
Some residents reported black debris falling from the sky. Safety officials warned people not to touch the debris or mow over it.
The State Fire Marshal said officials still don’t know what caused the fire and it won’t be safe to investigate until it’s out.
A community help line is available at 765-973-9300 and the city of Richmond’s website.
Rebecca is our energy and environment reporter. Contact her at rthiele@iu.edu or follow her on Twitter at @beckythiele. Follow Cincinnati Public Radio’s Tana Weingartner on Twitter @tanaweingartner.