Authorities in Richmond, Indiana, said on Sunday that the area around a plastics fire that started last week had been cleared for evacuation and shelter-in-place orders.
According to a statement from the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, the restrictions were removed at 4 p.m. local time.
“This decision was made in collaboration with multiple federal, state, and local officials and based upon guidance from the Wayne County Health Department using test results and air monitoring data provided to us by the US EPA for analysis,” the agency added.
According to the city’s website, “businesses and schools in the evacuation zone are able to resume operation.”
At a press conference on Sunday, Mayor Dave Snow and WCEMA Director Matthew Cain announced that testing of air debris would continue.
Although at least 1,500 individuals living in the evacuation area, it is unknown how many complied with the request to leave after the fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon.
“I feel very confident that people will be safe when they move back to their homes,” said the Wayne County Health Department’s health officer Dr. David Jetmore.
Officials have been “repeatedly testing the air around the site,” according to Jetmore, and most of the substances found during those tests have been “non-detectable.” Three substances were found at “small levels,” according to Jetmore: benzene, naphthalene, and butadiene.
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“That, coupled with the fact that it’s raining today, which of course is cleansing the air of particulate matter, and the fact that the wind’s blowing, makes me feel very safe about lifting this evacuation order,” he added.
The residents of the previous evacuation zone will have access to cleaning supplies and instructions on how to clean effectively, the city of Richmond announced on its website.
According to Christine Stinson of the Wayne County Health Department, “It will be important for you to not only cleanse the outside of your house on high-touch surfaces, such as door handles and railings, but if your house did fill with smoke during the fire, we’ve got instructions on how to properly and safely clean the inside of your home.”
Authorities have often emphasized that residents who find debris should report it to the EPA and not touch or attempt to move it themselves.
Crews will stay on site to put down flare-ups at the 14-acre (5-hectare) former manufacturing site, according to Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown.
Residents within a half-mile of the former factory used to store plastics were told to leave after the fire broke out on Tuesday owing to what authorities described as “toxic” smoke.
On Thursday, the city of Richmond announced on its website that the fire had been put out.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, benzene, and hydrogen cyanide were found at the fire site.
At least one sample of the fire’s debris, some of which had moved more than a mile from the origin of the flame, had tested positive for chrysotile asbestos, often known as white asbestos, according to EPA on-scene coordinator Jason Sewell at a press conference on Friday.
The American Cancer Society states that white asbestos, one of the six varieties of asbestos, is the one that is most frequently utilized.
According to the city, the EPA contractors were removing the debris from “impacted schools” first.
“Contractors will begin on ground level and may deploy drones to search rooftops for additional debris,” the city wrote on a website dedicated to the warehouse fire cleanup. “After school grounds are cleared, these contractors will begin removing debris from residential properties, parks and/or public areas, and businesses.”
The cause of the fire was unknown. However, it swiftly turned into an inferno, demolishing six dilapidated structures containing recycled plastic and producing clouds of smoke so tall and dark that they threw a vast shadow over the 35,000-person city.
A 2020 court ruling required the storage facility’s owner to clean up the location without utilities, deemed a significant fire threat by inspectors.
Officials in Richmond claimed that while he was trying to get rid of the enormous holdings, they had forbidden him from collecting more plastics.
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