AKRON, Ohio — Residents were able to return to their homes Thursday night after a large commercial fire prompted an emergency response and evacuation order in the city of Akron. However, there is still work to be done.
Akron Fire Chief Leon Henderson said in a Friday afternoon press conference that the fire is still ongoing and approximately 12 firefighters remain on scene. The fire chief says the fire is in a state of flux and could take anywhere from eight to 12 hours to extinguish. Crews are using construction equipment to tear down walls and reach the areas that are still burning “due to the lack of structural integrity of the site.”
Firefighters were called to SMB Products on 1081 Rosemary Boulevard at approximately 1:12 p.m. on Thursday afternoon.
One firefighter was hospitalized Thursday and remains in the hospital Friday as he recovers from injuries sustained while battling the fire. No injuries to residents or SMB Products workers have been reported.
According to Akron Fire District Chief Sierjie Lash, crews arrived 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. "The building contains chemicals which are burning and creating an unsafe hazmat situation," city officials said in a release.
"Our primary concern is getting folks out of the evacuation zone because of the concern of fire and potential explosion," Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said during a late afternoon briefing. "There's not an air quality or chemical concern at this point for folks outside of the evacuation zone."
Earlier, Malik posted photos from the scene as well as a map of the evacuation zone on X.
In a press release Thursday night, the Akron Fire Division said that the evacuation allowed fire crews to continue the defensive fire tactics. The fire was deemed under control at 7:34 p.m.
The EPA was called to check the air quality around the site of the fire, and reports have shown that the air quality is "within normal limits," the city said. The evacuation order was lifted at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Henderson said Friday afternoon that the Summit County Hazmat team deployed 20 workers to the scene.
According to Henderson, the fire department does not have an “exact” count of how many Akron residents were transported to hospitals Thursday night with injuries or respiratory issues connected to the chemical fire.
Henderson said the fire department believes methanol, xylene, propane, ether and ethanol were present in the SMB Products building at the time of the fire.
“We cannot confirm whether those chemicals were the ignition source of the fire,” Henderson said. “We’re still investigating and testing those materials.”
Henderson said the Ohio EPA is still on site checking for poisonous air and says the air is testing within “normal toxicity.” According to Henderson, favorable weather helped keep the air quality under control. The fire chief said the department will alert residents immediately of any changes in air quality testing results.
“I want to be clear that any time there is smoke in the air, it affects air quality.” Henderson said. “Smoke … is a carcinogen and should not be actively inhaled. Anyone with preexisting conditions such as asthma or COPD need to be especially careful about inhaling smoke. It is definitely still smokey today and I’d encourage folks to limit exposure to the smoke as much as possible, especially folks with underlying conditions.”
Henderson suggested residents wear a mask, especially within the immediate area of the chemical fire. Anyone experiencing difficulty breathing should call 911.
A cause of the fire has not yet been determined. Henderson said the fire department would have more updates on the investigation into the cause of the fire once the smoldering is out.
You can watch Thursday afternoon's briefing featuring Mayor Shammas Malik along with police and fire officials below.
Malik previously posted on X that the "Akron Fire Department is running point on a hazmat incident at a commercial business."
