Agencies monitor air quality; officials consider evacuations

A fire that broke out about 4:40 p.m. Monday at InterGroup International Ltd., in Champion, Ohio, has caused more than $1 million in damages, according to Champion’s fire chief. The Ohio State fire marshal is investigating the cause of the blaze, which destroyed a 42,000 square-foot storage facility. On Tuesday, smoke was still coming from the facility and Champion’s Fire Department was working with the Trumbull County and Northeast Ohio Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) teams as well as the Ohio and U.S. Environmental Protection Agencies to monitor air quality around the smoke plume. The agencies originally decided to let the fire extinguish itself because it cannot be put out with water due to the high oxygen levels created by the burning plastics. However, a Champion firefighter said Tuesday night that new calculations by the EPA showed the fire could continue burning for three weeks, so a contractor was being brought in to smother the fire instead. On Tuesday evening the fire department began warning residents they may have to evacuate if conditions did not improve.

Source: http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/News/articles.asp?articleID=25809