In Richmond, IN, a massive fire at the former Hoffco factory forced out 2,000 residents:
Indiana State Police said the blaze was at the former Hoffco factory, which closed in 2009.Wayne County EMA said the evacuation order applied to residents and persons within 0.5 miles of the fire. Those outside that zone were advised to keep windows closed and pets inside.
The factory closed in 2009. Fire Chief Tim Brown said the department cited the property owner numerous times for unsafe conditions.
Brown also said they knew a fire would eventually happen: “It wasn’t if, it’s just when.”
This is horrible. It could have been prevented:
He said the six buildings were full of plastic from “floor to ceiling, wall to wall” along with several semi-trailers.When firefighters arrived on scene they found a semi-trailer in the back of the building on fire and the fire quickly jumped to the multiple piles of plastic nearby.Brown said the owner of the property had been cited previously for the property being unsafe.Fire crews, along with the city had been trying to get them to clean up the buildings for some time, Brown said.Due to the clouds of black smoke coming off the fire, all residents within half a mile of the scene were asked to evacuate.
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