Richmond fire leads to evacuations

RICHMOND — A massive fire led to an evacuation order that affected about 2,000 residents Tuesday.

A fire broke out at 358 NW F St. in Richmond, spurring Wayne County Emergency Management Agency to issue an evacuation order for anyone within a half-mile.

The fire, from which smoke was visible from Portland, was located at a 175,000-square-foot former lawn mower factory, which Mayor Dave Snow told The Associated Press was being used to store plastics and other materials to be recycled or resold.

“They were under a city order to clean up and remediate that site,” Snow told The Associated Press, adding that officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and Indiana Department of Environmental Management were in Richmond to assess the air quality and other environmental issues. “We knew that was a fire hazard the way they were storing materials.”

State Fire Marshal Steve Jones called the smoke “toxic.” He expects the fire to burn for a few days.

The fire apparently started in a tractor-trailer park at the site, Snow said.

Reports indicated that the fire had been contained on three sites as of late Tuesday. Crews were continuing to battle the fire this morning.

By this morning, only one minor injury to a firefighter had been reported.

In addition to the evacuation order, Wayne County emergency management advised anyone outside the half-mile radius of the fire to shelter in place, turn off air conditioning units, keep windows and doors closed and stay inside.

A temporary shelter was opened for those who were forced from their homes.

Richmond schools were closed today. Indiana University East shifted to virtual classes.

WLWT TV in Cincinnati reported that the smoke was so dense it was showing up on weather radar, stretching into Ohio.