Plumes of black, toxic smoke billowed out over eastern Indiana on Wednesday from an industrial fire that was expected to burn for days, the authorities said, a day after more than 2,000 residents were ordered to evacuate.
Residents within a half-mile radius of a plastics recycling plant in Richmond, Ind., were ordered to evacuate after the fire broke out around 2 p.m. on Tuesday on the 14-acre property, Matthew Cain, director of the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, said on Wednesday.
Officials believe the fire started after a semitrailer caught on fire on the property, he said. It was not clear what caused the trailer to catch on fire. As of Wednesday, about 13.5 acres of the property had burned, Mr. Cain added. At a news conference on Tuesday, Chief Tim Brown of the Richmond Fire Department said he did not think foul play was involved.
“The smoke is definitely toxic,” Stephen Jones, the Indiana state fire marshal, told reporters at a news conference on Tuesday. “And so we don’t want residents in the smoke.”
Chief Brown said the site is the former Hoffco/Comet Industries plant, which produced small garden and lawn motors before closing in 2009. Workers there primarily collected and held the plastic products to be recycled at another location.
The plant is owned in part by the City of Richmond and in part by a private citizen, the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency confirmed on Wednesday.
Although the fire is contained to the property and hasn’t affected nearby residences, “it is still burning,’’ Mr. Cain said.
“Smoke can still be seen from several miles away but it is better than yesterday,” he said.
There were no reported injuries except for a firefighter who twisted his ankle after he fell down a ravine, Mr. Cain said, adding that the firefighter was treated at a hospital and had been released.
Emergency officials warned residents in a statement that the fire “is expected to continue burning and producing smoke, soot and ash for several more days.” Video of the fire on Tuesday showed dark plumes of smoke billowing over the scene in Richmond.
