Officials are keeping a close eye on air quality as a fire at the Northern Metal Recycling facility in Becker, Minnesota burns for a second day. Supression efforts continue, but officials say it will take several days to fully extinguish the fire.
Wednesday night, officials announced they would separate a portion of the burning vehicle stack and let it burn out. A fire break between the burning cars and the rest of the pile will protect some of Northern Metals's inventory and the other buildings on the property. "The decision is based on the fact that water resources from Becker and surrounding areas are being rapidly depleted," said Becker Police in a release. "The resulting fire will be more intense and will produce more black smoke, but the plume is expected to rise higher into the air and travel farther before dissipating."