Multiple toxins confirmed in April warehouse fire in Richmond, Ind.

Warehouses in Richmond, Ind. that caught fire in April and forced local evacuations contained multiple toxins, according the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The EPA confirmed to multiple news outlets that the former My Way Trading property blaze had lead, benzene and asbestos, which was originally suspected by officials. The EPA collected 54 soil and debris samples in May.

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The 14-acre industrial warehouse fire that started around 2:30 p.m. April 11 was so large it was captured by satellite imagery at the time of the blaze. Multiple officials at all levels collaborated with the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency to monitor the air quality following the fire. An evacuation order for part of the city had been in place for several days.

The fire’s cause was not known, but it quickly became an inferno, destroying six run-down buildings and creating clouds of smoke so high and dark they cast a sprawling shadow over the city of 35,000 people. The burned warehouses contained large amounts of chipped, shredded and bulk recycled plastic, the EPA said.

There were no reports of injuries in the fire and the site was considered abandoned by some.

The man operating the storage site was under a 2020 court order to clean up the site, which had no utilities and had been declared a serious fire hazard by inspectors. Richmond officials said they had barred him from accepting more plastics while he was working to get rid of the vast holdings.

A class-action lawsuit was filed against Seth Smith and Cornerstone Trading following the fire.

In June, the Paladium-Item news outlet reported a man was accused of breaking into the site of the fire and was charged with burglary. He is accused of having cut copper wire with a grinder inside the facility.

The Associated Press, WCPO, WRTV and the Journal-News contributed to this report.