Mayor: ‘Negligent business owner’ responsible for massive Richmond fire

Smoke rises from an industrial fire at 358 NW F St. in Richmond on Tuesday. (Zach Piatt/The Palladium-Item via AP)

Authorities on Tuesday urged people near a large industrial fire in Richmond, Indiana, to evacuate the area. The fire, which sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky, occurred at a former factory site that lately had been used to store plastics and other materials for recycling or resale, Mayor Dave Snow said.

Snow described the blaze in the city about 70 miles east of Indianapolis as a “serious, large-scale fire” that apparently started in a tractor-trailer parked onsite and spread quickly. The cause was not immediately known.

During a news conference Wednesday morning, Snow said the business owner had previously been cited by the city’s Unsafe Building Commission and given an order to clean up the property, which was ignored.

“We have been through several steps since then to order this particular business owner to clean up this property because we were aware that what was operating here was a fire hazard,” said Snow. “That business owner is fully responsible for all of this. Everything that’s ensued here–the fire, the damages, the risk that our first responders have taken, and the risk these citizens are under–are the responsibility of that negligent business owner.”

Snow said his current focus is on the safety of first responders and residents as the fire gets under control, but he does plan to continue efforts to hold the business owner responsible for the incident.

Fire crews were able to contain the fire to just the business property and keep it from spreading to nearby residential areas. Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said one firefighter suffered minor injuries while fighting the blaze.

There were no reports of injuries among residents But hundreds of people living within a half-mile of the fire were told to leave. People outside that radius who live downwind of the fire were advised to keep windows closed and pets inside.

Wind from the west blew black smoke across the state border into Ohio.

Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency were called to the scene. Jason Sewell with the EPA said his team will continue to monitor air quality with a particular focus on testing for toxins such as styrene and benzene, which can come from burning plastic.

Christine Stinson with the Wayne County Health Department urged residents to stay out of the half-mile evacuation zone because of the particulate matter that can be found in the smoke.

“Any smoke, whether it has benzene or other compounds, is dangerous because of the particulate matter,” Stinson said. “Breathing that in, just the particulate matter, is dangerous, but in particular for people with chronic illnesses, COPD and the elderly.

Bethesda Worship Center in Richmond offered temporary shelter for people forced out of their homes, while other agencies were trying to arrange hotel rooms if necessary, Pastor Ken Harris said.

Richmond Community Schools announced late Tuesday that all schools will be closed Wednesday with no virtual instruction. Faculty and staff were urged to follow the shelter-in-place order.

Indiana University East said all Wednesday classes would be held virtually with campus operations being at limited capacity due to the fire.

Richmond has a population of 35,000. Officials did not provide an estimated timeline for the evacuation order to be lifted.