A fire at an Indiana recycling plant forces the evacuation of thousands of people due to the emission of toxic smoke

() — A fire that started Tuesday afternoon at a recycling plant in the eastern Indiana city of Richmond, emitting toxic smoke and forcing about 2,000 people to evacuate, is expected to burn for days, according to authorities.

Plastics were among the items burning at the plant, and the smoke — a thick black plume billowing from the site Tuesday — is “definitely toxic,” Indiana State Fire Marshal Steve Jones said in a statement. Press conference.

“There are a lot of chemicals that plastics give off when they catch fire, and it’s worrying and we want to make sure we warn people to evacuate,” Jones said Tuesday night, adding that he expected the fire to last for days.

Firefighters responded to the facility Tuesday and found a semi-trailer engulfed in flames behind one of the plant’s buildings, Richmond Fire Chief Tim Brown said. The trailer was loaded with an “unknown type of plastics,” and the fire spread to other piles of plastics around the trailer and eventually into the building, Brown said.

Details about what started the fire in the semitrailer were not immediately available.

An evacuation order has been issued for residents within a 1-kilometer radius of the fire, but authorities could change the order if the wind direction changes, Jones said. Residents outside of the evacuation zone, but downwind of it—to the east and northeast—were encouraged to shelter in place and bring pets inside.

“We don’t expect the evacuation order to be lifted tonight,” Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said Tuesday. “A bus will remain in place if necessary and the shelters are ready to accept the citizens of the area.”

The evacuation order affected about 2,000 residents, the Wayne County emergency management agency told . Officials said they are awaiting air monitoring tests and results to help decide the duration of evacuation orders.

Residents of the area who find remains of the fire in their yards were asked “not to disturb or touch the remains.” “It is unknown what chemicals may or may not be in the debris,” Wayne County Emergency Management Agency officials said.

The massive fire prompted the Richmond Community School District to cancel all classes Wednesday, with officials encouraging faculty and staff to follow shelter-in-place orders and saying there will be no online classes.

One firefighter was injured after falling and injuring his ankle, and has since been treated and released from a hospital, Brown said.

No other injuries were reported. All emergency crews that were working in the building have been accounted for, Brown said.

“It’s a big enough fire that it won’t last [solo] tonight. She’s going to burn for a while,” Jones said.

The fire burned in a trailer before spreading to the facility, a fire official said. (Credit: Kevin Shook/Global Media Enterprise)

The Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management were on site “assessing any potential hazards resulting from the fire,” Snow said in a statement. Facebook post.

Firefighters have had trouble accessing the facility, with piles of plastic blocking access routes, Brown said. “It’s quite a challenge because we only have access to one side of the building,” he added.

“Once the fire got out of control, it darkened above us, (and) we backed off very quickly and then went into defensive mode,” Brown said.

The flames spread to several buildings on the site, but crews were able to stop the spread of the fire before it could spread to residential areas, Brown said.

“It’s probably the biggest fire I’ve ever seen in my career,” Brown said.

“The cause of the fire is unknown and likely will not be known until after the fire has been extinguished. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is on the scene to assist with the investigation,” the Fire Management Agency officials said. Wayne County ER.

— ‘s Tina Burnside contributed to this report.