AKRON, Ohio — The commercial fire that forced residents to evacuate their homes in the city of Akron on Thursday has been fully extinguished and the smoke has "largely dissipated," the city announced Saturday afternoon.
The fire broke out at the SMB Products plant at 1081 Rosemary Boulevard at approximately 1:12 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. The fire was deemed under control by officials and residents were able to return to their homes by 8 p.m. Thursday evening, but crews remained on scene through Saturday as the remaining flames smoldered.
In a press release, the city of Akron said air monitoring conducted by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency has continued since Thursday and "has been within normal levels through the entirety of the testing." The city said Saturday that air monitoring at the site perimeter and work areas has started.
"Air canister samples have been collected by the Ohio EPA and will be submitted for laboratory analysis to confirm the field data. The work is being conducted by an environmental consultant hired by the facility representatives. No unsafe levels of airborne contaminants have been detected," the city said.
According to the Ohio EPA, fire suppression materials ran off into a nearby creek while crews battled the blaze, contaminating the water primarily with alcohol-based materials ethanol and methanol. The city said contractors are trying to remove the contaminated water using high volume pumps. According to the city, the creek runs into Long Lake, which is not a source of drinking water.
“I want to again thank our safety forces and the Ohio EPA for their round the clock attention and care to this matter since Thursday afternoon. I’m grateful that our injured firefighter is now home and recovering,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. “Now that the fire has been extinguished, the Akron Fire Department can begin their investigation into the fire and the EPA can conduct the necessary analysis on the site. All tests are coming back in safe ranges for air and water quality and will continue to be monitored. We remain committed to providing updates as more information becomes available.”
One firefighter was hospitalized Thursday after suffering injuries related to the fire. He has since been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.
Akron officials said "multiple treatment areas" remain in operation. According to the city, water quality testing has shown the water quality "beyond the last treatment location" to be within acceptable limits. The EPA is overseeing testing which will continue through the weekend.
"Water quality samples are being collected daily in the creek and the Tuscarawas River and being submitted for laboratory analysis. The results will be used to confirm the field data," the city said. "Working in cooperation with the Ohio EPA, a temporary storm water bypass system has been setup near the site to divert impacted storm water runoff into the sanitary sewer rather than cause additional impact to the creek."
According to Akron Fire District Chief Sierjie Lash, crews arrived Thursday to find that laboratory employees at SMB Products had already evacuated the building. There were reports of heavy smoke and flames showing through the back of the building. Because of the chemicals present at the plant, fire companies used a "defensive mode" to fight the flames.
Lash added that "a small explosion" took place at the scene shortly before 3 p.m. Henderson said Friday afternoon that the roof fell into the structure and suppressed several other smaller explosions.
On Thursday afternoon, the city of Akron evacuated a half-mile radius around the fire and asked people to avoid the area.