Large industrial fire on Detroit's east side expected to burn for hours
The cause of the fire is still unknown, but Deputy Chief Micheal Borg said during a news conference that a delivery driver at the facility — Aevitas Specialty Services Corp., located the 600 block of Lycaste Street — heard a pop and saw smoke around 5 a.m., and firefighters responded shortly after.
Borg said around 50 firefighters have been to the scene.
WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) reported witnesses saw black smoke shooting into the sky. Borg said there's about 100,000 gallons of used oil on the site and burning oil creates black smoke.
The smoke is now white as the Detroit Fire Department gained control of the fire. Borg said the company is working to offload product from the site.
According to Borg, the department is monitoring air quality.
Borg said there were no burn-related injuries from the fire, but a fire fighter did injure his back. He is being treated at a nearby hospital.
"We're going to continue to monitor for 24 hours or until it is totally mitigated," Borg told reporters. He added that the team will likely be at the scene for at least eight hours.
Brian Kelly is the federal on-site coordinator with the Environmental Protection Agency. Kelly said that oil and wastewater from the facility spilled out into the roads while the fire was being extinguished.
"Right now, we have it contained to this area. We want to make sure people don't come into contact with it," Kelly said.
More: How a scrappy Google map tries to fill the gaps in Detroit homeless services
He said the EPA is working with the Fire Marshall's Office to monitor the company's clean-up.
Aevtias is responsible for removing waste from the roads, pressure washing them and checking drains for any waste.
The CEO of the company, Robert Slater, hopes clean-up will only last a few days. He says the fire department is still evaluating the extent of the damage to the facility and its structural integrity.
Emma George-Griffin is an intern at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at egeorgegriffin@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Fire Department working on large industrial fire on east side
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