A chemical plant fire triggered an evacuation in Akron, Ohio, on Thursday as hazardous materials including propane, methanol and xylene went up in flames.
While officials were initially concerned that the massive fire could cause an explosion, residents were told they could return to their homes by Thursday evening, according to News 5 Cleveland.
Roughly 10,000 people live within a 1-mile radius of the chemical plant, including 1,000 children under 5-years-old. Akron Fire District Chief Sierjie Lash said there are no air quality concerns for residents without preexisting conditions who live outside the evacuation zone, which was about one half-mile around the building.
“We tried to isolate and mitigate the fire… nothing happened,” Akron Fire Chief Leon Henderson said early Thursday. “We had to evacuate the area; we ran out of chemicals to even put on the fire because we were making no headway.”
Akron Firefighters Association L330 posted on X early Thursday warning to stay away from the area.
“Akron Fire and Police are currently working a significant incident in the 1000 block of Rosemary Blvd. please avoid South Arlington and the surrounding neighborhoods up to 1/2 mile in each direction,” the group wrote. “Please tune to local media for updates.”
