RICHMOND — It has been one month since a massive warehouse fire forced thousands of people out of their homes in Richmond.
The fire at the former My-Way Trading Warehouse began on April 11 and burned for several days. In those following days, thousands of people were required to evacuate their homes.
“We have learned a lot over the last month,” Richmond Mayor Dave Snow said. "More importantly, we have witnessed the heroism of our first responders, the collaborative spirit of our county, state, and federal partners and the resiliency and compassion of our community.”
In the weeks since the fire, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) and the City of Richmond have taken several steps to clean up the site of the fire.
Under Mayor Snow’s direction, the city has issued a formal request to the EPA to investigate and remove the materials. The EPA will begin sampling the material on Monday.
Once the material is sampled, officials will safely remove and dispose of the debris. Once it’s removed, the EPA will conduct further testing to make sure the site is safe.
“Although the full clean-up effort will take quite some time, we’re working diligently to get it moving," Mayor Snow said. "The sooner we get started the sooner we’ll get it finished. We’re going to keep pushing forward every day until we can put this behind us and look ahead.”
In addition, the Richmond Fire, Police and Street departments will work with the EPA to mobilize heavy equipment on the site to assist with the assessment and remediation activities.
The City of Richmond and the EPA will continue to share updates on their websites.
The Wayne Township Trustee’s office and the Red Cross continue to support residents impacted by the fire. Anyone needing assistance can call the Wayne County Help Line at 765-973-9300.
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