Richmond, Indiana facility fire | |
---|---|
Date(s) | April 11, 2023 |
Location | Richmond, Indiana, United States |
Coordinates | 39°50′15″N 84°54′20″W / 39.83750°N 84.90556°W |
Impacts | |
Non-fatal injuries | 1 firefighter |
Ignition | |
Cause | Semi-trailer catching on fire [1] |
Map | |
A large-scale industrial fire occurred on April 11, 2023, impacting a recycling processing facility and its surrounding area in Richmond, Indiana, United States. [2] The fire was caused by a semi-trailer carrying plastics which was engulfed in flames. Four years prior to the fire, the city had found that the site was a fire hazard and the Wayne Circuit Court affirmed the finding, declaring it "unsafe to people and property". [3]
The facility is a former Hoffco/Comet Industrial plant, [4] which closed in 2009. [5] The building was later renamed My Way Trading Warehouse, and "primarily collected and held plastic products to be recycled at another location." [6] [7] 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. [7] [8] The building was also described as a fire hazard because some of the inflammable materials were in close proximity to the property line, posing a significant risk. [8] In addition, a disproportionately large amount of plastic was being stored at the site, one of the facility buildings was not equipped with any fire sprinkler system, and there were a few minor fire-code violations as well. [8] According to Seth Smith, who owned the recycling company—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. [8]
Following the Unsafe Building Commission's findings, Smith filed an appeal in November 2019 seeking judicial review of the findings. [9] The court affirmed the commission's orders and found that the evidence established that the site was a fire hazard "unsafe to people and property". [9] [8] Smith was given 90 days to eliminate fire and other safety hazards on the property. [10]
The City of Richmond seized two of the three land parcels at the facility in 2022, after Smith did not pay his property taxes. [8]
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. [11] [12] Emergency crews asked people within a half-mile (0.8 km) from the fire to evacuate. [13] Numerous emergency responders, including the Indiana State Police, the Richmond, Indiana sheriff and fire department, and the Wayne County, Indiana sheriff's department assisted with evacuations. [13] [14] [15] Dave Snow, the mayor of Richmond, said in an interview that it was a "serious, large-scale fire." [16] An evacuation/shelter in place order was issued for areas 0.5 miles (0.8 km) outside of the incident area. [17] Winds blew the smoke eastward, crossing the Indiana–Ohio border at approximately 4 p.m. EDT. [18] Smoke was spotted as far away as Connersville, Indiana, and Oxford, Ohio. [15] Debris from the fire was found as far as New Paris, Ohio [19] and other portions of Preble County, which also postponed a car show. [20]
The fire was spotted from satellite images, weather radars, and traffic cameras. [2] [21] [22] One firefighter sustained a minor injury after hurting his ankle after a fall. [23]
The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management were on the scene and evaluated hazards that resulted from the fire. [15] Numerous explosions followed after the fire, with some bystanders moving close to the fire, creating more problems. [15] The piles of plastic scattered across roads made it difficult for first responders to reach the fire. [24] The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency requested assistance from other nearby agencies. [17] The Richmond Community School District canceled all classes on April 12. [11] A Bethesda Ministries building was designated as a temporary shelter. [6]
On Sunday, April 16, the evacuation order was lifted, and residents within the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) radius of the site were allowed to return to their homes. [25]
On April 20, a lawsuit was filed against Smith and the Cornerstone Trading Group by two Richmond residents and a business, seeking $25,000 in damages plus legal fees. The plaintiffs are seeking to have the suit certified as a class action suit. [26] 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. A pretrial conference is scheduled for November, while the trial is set to begin in February 2024. [27]
In May 2023, 54 debris and soil samples were taken by the United States Envionmental Protection Agency which contained asbestos, benzene, and lead, later being confirmed three months later. [28]
On July 3, Cornerstone Trading Group, LLC. filed a lawsuit against the city of Richmond claiming city officials "knew about the dangers of the building in 2021 when they acquired it from the previous owners." 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. [10]
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)