One year ago Thursday, a massive chemical fire in Richmond, Indiana, sent dark clouds all the way to the Miami Valley.
Starting at the My Way Trading plastics recycling facility that neighbors claimed had been a mess for quite some time, the fire’s plumes of smoke filled with toxic chemicals forced people to evacuate their homes for weeks. Clouds of smoke were so big, they were seen from Dayton.
How bad was the contamination? The Environmental Protection Agency declared the site clean only last month after completing more than 300 debris pick-ups.
The site is virtually unrecognizable compared to the scene last year. Richmond residents said that is because the city and its people have worked tirelessly to clean it up.