Industrial Fire Prompts Evacuations in Eastern Indiana

A large and potentially toxic industrial fire prompted evacuation orders in Richmond, Indiana, on Tuesday night, April 11, as local authorities said it was “unknown what chemicals may or may not be in the debris”.

The Wayne County Emergency Management Agency said the fire was expected to burn for several day. An evacuation order for a half-mile radius around the site of the blaze.

According to Richmond Mayor Dave Snow, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management were on site “evaluating any potential hazards resulting from the fire”.

This footage, shot by Kevin Childs on Tuesday on the west side of Richmond, shows thick black smoke billowing from the fire.

The City of Richmond said schools in the area would remain closed on Wednesday and encouraged residents to shelter in place. Credit: Kevin Childs via Storyful

Video transcript

[NO SPEECH]