RICHMOND, Ind. — As crews continue to contain a large industrial fire in Richmond, the Indianapolis Department of Emergency Management has declared an air quality action day for Wayne and Randolph counties.
"Weather conditions will continue to spread the smoke," the IDEM said in their release. "Conditions should improve overnight and Thursday."
An update on the conditions is expected Thursday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The EPA said it is monitoring the air at the site and will also begin collecting debris samples on Wednesday from the fire and surrounding community for testing to determine whether asbestos-containing materials are at play.
More than 2,000 people were forced to evacuate from their homes due to a large industrial fire at a warehouse in Richmond, Indiana.
The Richmond Fire Marshall said the fire started Tuesday afternoon and quickly spread from a semi-trailer to piles of plastic around the trailer. No injuries have been reported. The EMA said the situation is severe with a significant threat to life or property.
Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said the warehouse, formerly the Hoffco Facility is owned in part by the city and in part by a private citizen.
"He has been warned several times. We have an unsafe citation that was issued to him. We don't know exactly when that was but we were aware of the situation and we were dealing with the situation," Brown said.
After numerous citations and warnings from the city, the owner of the property is now facing further repercussions, according to Richmond Mayor Dave Snow. As part of the continued litigation between the city and the property owner, the city actually owned part of the property that was burned.
"This business owner had previously been cited by our Unsafe Building Commission and given an order to clean up the property that order was ignored," Snow said. "This was a fear for us and why we've taken so many steps to prevent this from happening. That business owner is fully responsible for all of this. We have the unsafe building order and the recorded court documents and everything that's ensued."
"The smoke is definitely toxic," said Indiana State fire Marshal Steve Jones. The areas needing to evacuate may change based on the direction the wind carries the smoke, Jones added.
Watch drone footage of the massive fire:
Right now, residents just outside the half mile radius are being asked to shelter in place as precaution because officials are not clear on what chemicals are in the air. They are also being asked to shut off power, heat and AC.
According to the Richmond Fire Department's Battalion Chief, "all hands are on deck," as the fire continues to burn. Crews expect the fire to burn for a few more days.
People living in Richmond have shared videos and images showing the smoke and reporting that it can be seen from 'miles away'
The National Weather Service shared the image below showing the smoke being visible on their radar and satellite images.
Debris was found up to 10 miles from the location of the fire. Fire Marshal Jones is asking that people do NOT touch debris due to the unknown toxicity of chemicals in the fire.
The Wayne County Emergency Management Office said there are housing units available for those in the evacuation zone.
Bethesda Ministries, located at 2200 Peacock Rd, opened its doors as a temporary shelter for those displaced. Oak Park Pentecoastal Church located at 920 Chester Blvd will also be open as shelter with volunteers and workers from the American Red Cross.
The city is offering bus rides to transport residents. If you are in need of a ride call 765-983-7583 or 765-973-9399.
Schools in the area, including Richmond Community Schools and Indiana University East have canceled classes and activities for the rest of the rest of the day.
