RICHMOND — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced they will begin cleanup of the Richmond warehouse site, months after a massive fire caused thousands to evacuate.
The fire at the former My-Way Trading Warehouse began on April 11 and burned for four days. Thousands of Richmond residents were ordered to evacuate due to possible cancer-causing toxins in the smoke.
EPA later confirmed that the site was contaminated with lead, benzene and asbestos.
“There’s stuff in the air. I do believe it’s blowing. Every time there’s heavy winds, I wonder what’s in my yard now, what are we breathing,” Brenda Jerrell said.
Jerrell lives behind the warehouse site.
“I thought it was like a horror movie,” Jerrell said. “We heard something go ‘boom’ and we could see smoke. Next thing we heard a bunch of sirens. It was like my next-door neighbor. You could see white, yellowish and black smoke.”
The city of Richmond and Cornerstone Trading Group, LLC both own portions of the property. There’s an ongoing legal feud about who’s responsible for the cleanup.
Records show Cornerstone Trading LLC was on the city's radar for dangerous conditions before the fire started.
"Shame on him. Now there's a mess," Jerrell said.
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Now, the agency will begin a hazardous waste cleanup operation set to begin in November. The $2.8 million EPA cleanup will occur on the 310 and 358 NW F Street properties and will address various compounds, including asbestos-containing material, lead and antimony.
Equipment is expected to start arriving next week.
"I am one of the effected business owners. I haven't received any notification nor has the land that I lease. So, this is news to us," Billie Johnson said.
“How do you feel about it now that you know?” WRTV’s Rachael Wilkerson asked.
“I am upset. There hasn’t been any type of letters sent out or phone calls made,” Johnson said.
Johnson is part of a class action lawsuit against the property owners. He also puts blame on the city.
"The city needs to be held accountable. If I had a fire on my property and it effected your property, you would be coming to me," Johnson said.
The city says it's not granting interviews at this time.
WRTV sent the mayor's office a public records request asking how much it's spent so far on the fire investigation and more.
“The city of Richmond's top priority is protecting our residents,” Mayor Dave Snow said in a statement. “The EPA’s cleanup operation is an essential step towards ensuring their safety and the environmental health of our community. We will continue to work closely with the EPA as we move forward in addressing this unfortunate incident."
The city and EPA haven't released an estimated timeline of how long cleanup will take.
The EPA has a website dedicated to all things related to the My-Way Trading Warehouse fire.
