Huge blaze at Indiana recycling plant spews toxic smoke as 2,000 residents told to evacuate

‘Not only is it a dangerous area right now ... limiting your exposure to this black smoke is the best thing for your health,’ mayor says

A huge blaze at an Indiana recycling plant has prompted the mass evacuation of more than 2,000 residents.

The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon, leading to residents within half a mile of the plant in Richmond, Indiana being placed under an evacuation order because of the “large industrial fire,” area officials said.

The Wayne County Emergency Management office said the evacuation area includes about 2,011 residents, ABC News reported.

Officials said that anyone downwind from the area needed to shelter in place.

Indiana State Fire Marshal Stephen Jones told the press, “The smoke is definitely toxic”.

“We don’t want the residents in the smoke. As the wind changes we may change the direction of the evacuations,” he added.

Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said one firefighter injured his ankle when falling down a ravine, but he was treated and released from hospital.

Chief Brown added that the blaze was reported at about 2pm local time and that it’s been contained. Marshal Jones said the fire will likely continue burning for several days, adding that they are monitoring the blaze from the air.

The plant is located near the state border between Indiana and Ohio. Chief Brown said it’s partly publically owned by the city of Richmond, and partly by a private citizen.

“He has been warned several times,” the chief said. “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.”

The plant was previously used by Hoffco/Comet Industries. The firm made garden products for six decades before it was shuttered in 2009, a report by the US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency states.

Marshal Jones said the plant is now processing recycling, such as plastic.

“There’s a host of different chemicals plastics give off when they’re on fire, so it’s concerning,” he told the media on Tuesday.

Richmond Mayor Dave Snow told ABC News on Tuesday that the fire was a “worst-case scenario” and shared his worries about the air quality of the city with more than 35,000 residents.

“This is something we never wanted to see happen,” he said.

“We want everyone to limit their exposure to that black smoke and stay far away from the area,” he added to ABC. “Not only is it a dangerous area right now ... limiting your exposure to this black smoke is the best thing for your health.”

Aaron Stevens, a police officer and Richmond resident who serves on the local school board, told ABC News that he spotted a “huge pillar of smoke” and that he heard “explosions and pops” from his residence about half a mile from the plant.

“There is an odour, a burning odour,” he added. “What is more disheartening is the fact that I’m hearing explosions and pops this far away.”

He said he currently dealing with a knee injury and therefore hasn’t evacuated yet but that he can do so quickly if needed.

“If it gets to the point where I realize that this is really going to be unsafe, I’m within just a minute or two away from having someone come and get me,” he told ABC.

Fellow Richmond resident Brad Walton told ABC that he could smell something like burning tires from his home, about five miles from the fire.

“It’s just not a good smell,” he said.

He added that he could see the smoke from as far away as Hamilton, Ohio, which is 35 miles from the plant.