Residents were evacuated Tuesday afternoon when fire broke out in a recycling storage facility.
Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said crews saw the smoke from the fire station. “It was fully loaded with unknown types of plastics. Filled wall to wall.”
He told reporters that the owner had previously received an “unsafe citation” about stacking plastic in the area.
“He has been warned several times. “I don’t know when exactly that was, but we were aware of the situation we were dealing with.”
The former lawn mower manufacturing business has been closed for years. Now, it's used for recycling and storage, Mayor Dave Snow said.
“The smoke is definitely toxic,,” said Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones, adding that the fire will burn for days.
He is investigating the cause.
