Richmond, Indiana, facility fire

Richmond, Indiana facility fire
Smoke from the fire as viewed from the Walk of Fame just south of the Starr–Gennett building
Date(s)	April 11–16, 2023
Location	Richmond, Indiana, United States
Coordinates	39°50′15″N 84°54′20″W
Impacts
Non-fatal injuries	1 firefighter
Ignition
Cause	Semi-trailer catching on fire
Map
Location of Richmond facility fire in Indiana

On the afternoon of April 11, 2023, a large-scale industrial fire impacted a recycling processing facility and its surrounding area in Richmond, Indiana, United States. The fire was caused by a semi-trailer carrying plastic materials, which was parked behind the building. Four years prior to the fire, the city had found that the site was a fire hazard and the Wayne Circuit Court affirmed the finding, declaring it "unsafe to people and property".

Background

The facility was a former Hoffco/Comet Industrial plant, which closed in 2009. The building was later renamed My Way Trading Warehouse, and plastic materials were contained there. The building was previously cited for numerous violations by Richmond's Unsafe Building Commission starting in 2019, due to numerous roof leaks and structural problems. Additionally, the facility was also described as a fire hazard after inflammable materials were in close proximity to the property line. The building also had a disproportionately large amount of plastic being stored, and a fire sprinkler system was not included at one of the facility buildings. There were a few minor fire-code violations at the facility as well. According to Seth Smith, who owned the recycling company of the facility—then named Cornerstone Trading Group—at that time, the auction company that sold the land to him allegedly had destroyed the fire sprinkler system of that building prior to the ownership change.

Following the Unsafe Building Commission's findings, Smith filed an appeal in November 2019 seeking judicial review of the findings. The court affirmed the commission's orders and found that the evidence established that the site was a fire hazard "unsafe to people and property". Smith was given 90 days to eliminate fire and other safety hazards on the property.

The City of Richmond seized two of the three land parcels at the facility in 2022, after Smith did not pay his property taxes.

Fire

View of the fire from the South A Street bridge at 2:40 PM local time on April 11, 2023

View of the fire from the South A Street bridge at 3:52 PM local time on April 11, 2023

The fire occurred on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, around 3 p.m. EDT, when a semi-trailer carrying plastics behind the recycling processing facility was engulfed in flames. Numerous emergency responders, including the Indiana State Police and sheriff departments from Richmond, Indiana and Wayne County, Indiana, assisted with evacuations. Dave Snow, the mayor of Richmond, said in an interview that it was a "serious, large-scale fire." An evacuation/shelter in place order was issued for areas 0.5 miles (0.8 km) outside of the incident area, which included nearly 2,000 people.

Easterly winds blew smoke across the Indiana–Ohio border approximately one hour after the fire began. Smoke was spotted as far away as Connersville, Indiana, and Oxford, Ohio. Debris from the fire was found as far as New Paris, Ohio and other portions of Preble County, which postponed a car show. Additionally, the fire was spotted from satellite images, weather radars, and traffic cameras. One firefighter sustained a minor injury to his ankle after a fall down a ravine.

Aftermath

The United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management were on the scene and evaluated hazards that resulted from the fire. Numerous explosions followed after the fire, with some bystanders moving close to the fire, creating more problems. The piles of plastic scattered across roads made it difficult for first responders to reach the fire. The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency requested assistance from other nearby agencies. The Richmond Community School District canceled all classes on April 12, and virtual classes were held by the Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana in Richmond as well. A Bethesda Ministries building was designated as a temporary shelter.

On Sunday, April 16, the evacuation order was lifted, and residents within the 0.5-mile (0.8 km) radius of the site were allowed to return to their homes.

On April 20, a lawsuit was filed against Smith and the Cornerstone Trading Group by two Richmond residents and a business, seeking $25,000 in damages plus legal fees. The plaintiffs are seeking to have the suit certified as a class action suit. In July, Dave Snow, mayor of Richmond, Indiana, and city attorney Andrew Sickman were subpoenaed as third party defendants after a 19-point dismissal was filed by Smith and his attorneys implicating that city of Richmond was liable for the fire based on ownership of the property. A pretrial conference is scheduled for November, while the trial is set to begin in February 2024.

In May 2023, 54 debris and soil samples were taken by the United States Envionmental Protection Agency which contained asbestos, benzene, and lead, later being confirmed three months later.

On July 3, 2023, Cornerstone Trading Group, LLC. filed a lawsuit against the city of Richmond claiming city officials "knew about the dangers of the building in 2021 when they acquired it from the previous owners." The documents state that the fire happened on the property were buildings owned by the city and the company therefore did not "cause or contribute the release of any hazardous substances" nor were they liable for the incident.

In November 2023, the United States Environmental Protection Agency began removing debris from the site of the facility fire, which cost $3.3 million. The cleanup, which included the removal of over 6,000 tonnes (6,000,000 kg) of debris and 850 tonnes (850,000 kg) of steel, was competed in March 2024. The materials that were removed from the facility fire site were then transferred to a landfill mandated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.