Firefighters remained at a recycling facility in south Columbus, Ohio as they continued to extinguish the remaining hotspots of a building after a huge fire broke out on Friday. So far, there have been no injuries reported as a result.
The fire continued to engulf the Phoenix Recycling facility on Saturday and spewed thick black smoke into the air, prompting authorities to warn nearby residents to remain indoors. The American Electric Power had to shut down their services to more than 20,000 residents as a precautionary measure.
Columbus Battalion Chief Tracy Smith added in a statement on Saturday that the site continued to be an active fire scene.
"We've got some spot fires that are still going on that we can't reach at this point so we're going to keep two engines here to keep those fires at bay," said Smith. "Nothing has extended outside of the property so we're pretty happy about that."
It took around five hours for the fire officials to bring the blaze under control. While the origin of the fire has been determined, investigators are still looking for the probable cause. An estimated $8 million worth of damages was also calculated.
According to the firefighters, tanks in the area triggered more flames, which eventually produced dark smoke in the sky. These tanks are used to fuel the plant's forklifts. They added that plastic material in the facility also burned and that toxins could have been released into the air. Among the items that were seen burning include baling machines, sorting machines, plastic pallets and cardboard bales.
"I don't want anybody to sit on their porch and watch this event as it's going on, inhaling that dark deep smoke," warned Smith.
There were around 100 people who were working at the establishment when the blaze began at around 4 p.m. Initially, there were 150 firefighters that responded to the massive fire.
Officials at the Ohio EPA are monitoring the air quality and declared that initial tests on Saturday gave nothing to be concerned about.
"There is some concern from the EPA about some chemical levels in some areas of the yard so we're staying away from those areas and let them burn themselves out and the other area we're concerned about is keeping the unburned stuff from catching fire," said Tom DeLong, Battalion Chief, Columbus Division of Fire.
It will probably take a few more days for the fire to be totally put out, according to the firefighters.
