Hundreds of people have been ordered to evacuate their homes and seek safety after a large fire emitting toxic smoke at an industrial facility in the small town of Richmond, Indiana.
Two warehouses with large amounts of shredded plastic caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, according to the small town of Richmond in eastern Indiana. Because of the potential health hazards to local residents, the city ordered the evacuation within a 0.5-mile zone. According to CNN, around 2,000 people were affected.
Warning of respiratory problems
The chief of the local health authority, Christine Stinson, warned of possible health risks for people in the city. “These are very fine particles and if they are inhaled they can cause all kinds of breathing problems, including burning eyes, chest tightness, they can make asthma worse,” she told a news conference yesterday. They could also trigger bronchitis and other things. “We therefore ask the public to observe the evacuation zone.” The fire is under control, they said.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent experts to Richmond on Tuesday evening to support the local emergency services, including with aerial surveillance and examining material samples. US President Joe Biden offered the Indiana governor additional federal assistance in a phone call, the White House announced yesterday.
Memories of East Palestine
The Biden government’s crisis management was recently criticized after a disaster in Ohio. In early February, several dozen wagons of a freight train derailed in the community of East Palestine. Some of them had loaded highly toxic chemicals. To avoid an explosion, these had to be partially drained and flared. A huge cloud of black smoke hung over the place for days. The residents complained about health problems such as skin rashes and headaches.
