A fire has been burning at a warehouse that's become a dump for things Dupont can't legally get rid of for more than 4 days in Parkersburg, WV.

Gif of it burning: https://imgur.com/ZQ0Cf56

I'll be collecting all the updates I've found on social media here. The warehouse used to be the Ames Factory (I think they made shovels there), but for years has been a dump for things that Dupont can't legally get rid of. The state doesn't know what was in there, but there is possibilities of any number of these products being stored there - PVC, Nylon, Carbon black, Titanium dioxide, Fiberglass, Maleic Anhydride TLV 0.1 ppm, Formaldehyde, PTFE (Teflon), Styrene, Acrylonitrile, Polybutylene Terephthalate, and/or Acrylic Sheet all of which are not good things when burned.

Edit: Update from Reddit "There is also an underground storage tank from when it was ames that is full of trichloroethyene, lead, ethylbenzene, and toluene that is leaking. The fire suppression system for the warehouse failed last winter because one of the pipes froze and busted. They never had it fixed."

Edit 2: Another update from an insider that used to work for Dupont. IEI, who owns the building is a shell company owned by Dupont. Also, from a different insider "Saurabh Naik (Ed Note: The official owner of IEI) has dozens of LLC Shell companies like IEI that he funnels stuff through. He makes everyone that works from him sign an NDA. You'd be Shocked at some of the stuff that gets stored in his warehouses. You get everything from polymers to toxic Dust to drums of acid all thrown into the same sections of buildings. I've personally seen warehouses wall-to-wall with this stuff with literally no room to walk around in. If a Fire breaks out in one of his buildings then there is no way to put it out short of letting the entire thing Burn to the ground. Apparently this old AMES building was one of his worst and he's already received many citations and Warnings about how things are stored and the general maintenance of the facility. Expect shutdowns of satellite warehouses soon and probably a couple bankruptcies declared as Well."

Fire crews have been on site since Saturday, costing the city of Parkersburg $60,000 a day, they've already spent more than $300,000 on fighting the fire.

Some fire fighters on site have said that while the fire on the building is easy to put out, some of the materials inside it burn hotter when sprayed with water. They do not have enough foam to put out the fire, but they need it badly.

Why can't they just let it burn out? This is why. This ash cloud has been bellowing from the fire since the beginning and the ash has been found over 40 miles away. People who breathe in the ash and smoke for as little as half an hour have issues with breathing, burning skin, eyes, and throat. Residents are also reporting headaches and nausea. A lot of people have been hospitalized for acute chemical pneumonitis. Schools are closed, buses aren't running, businesses are closed, and government agencies are closed.

Most people do not have the money to evacuate, and they are not safe in their homes, let alone if they leave to get supplies.

The smoke cloud is literally blacking out the sky in areas.

The weather in the last few days increased toxicity in the air and has caused toxic water run-off into the creeks and river. The fire department has nearly drained the city's water reservoir, and the reservoir has likely been compromised by the ash as they don't know if the filters can clear it.

Though a Dupont spokesperson said that the cloud was harmless, it reportedly smells like paint thinner and people are going to the hospital because of it.

Fire crews have been finding unlabeled containers inside and outside the building burning.

For example, DEP inspectors found that “good housekeeping was not being maintained” at the warehouse. They also found that the company had not developed and implemented a groundwater protection plan that “included materials stored at the site.”

"Officials say a material safety data sheet for the Intercontinental Export-Import Plastics warehouse on Camden Avenue, the former Ames shovel plant, is likely out of date and does not give an accurate view of what was stored in the building at the time of the fire."

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/community-news/2017/10/officials-msds-not-accurate-at-iei-warehouse/

Once again, West Virginia has gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to our water, air, and land. And because of this, our citizens are suffering and our fire fighters are risking their lives to help fight the fire.

Luckily no one has died yet, but the long term effects of the smoke have yet to be determined.

Why haven't you heard anything about this? Because major news outlets have reported that the fire is out.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/west-virginia-warehouse-fire-state-of-emergency-parkersburg/

Notice this photo is pointed towards the fire from miles away.

What's left burning of the building. Fire crews have luckily been able to keep it from spreading to other buildings.

The red line indicates the rough scope of the smoke cloud as of Sunday. Since then it has shifted slightly further east. The river pictured is the Ohio River, which feeds into the Mississippi and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. The river is a major water source for much of the country.

From here are pictures from the site in 2012 when the state fined the company who owns the property $60,000. The company buys Dupont and other companies chemicals that they can't legally get rid of. They supposedly reuse, properly dispose of, or resell as usable B-grade materials, however most of the materials go into warehouses like this one. There are 5 in Parkersburg alone. Note this photo says Plant 1. Plant 2 had a fire in 2012, which is what prompted the investigation into the conditions at Plant 1, the former Ames building.

There are some blurps on pictures from here, and you can find links on the last picture, mainly news links. If anyone from the area (I live across the state) has any knowledge of relief efforts, let me know, I'll add them to the post.

"Two volunteer fire chiefs in Wood County warned nearly a decade ago that they had “extreme concerns” about the potential for a major fire at one of the local warehouses being used to store large amounts of plastics and unknown other products from area chemical plants, state records show...

"“Hazardous materials are stored randomly throughout the warehouse in unlabeled storage containers,” said the July 28, 2008, letter from Linder and Stewart. “These are scattered throughout the building.”

"Linder and Stewart wrote that they had “extreme concerns for the safety of our firefighters if called to mitigate emergencies in these warehouses.”

"They recalled responding to a recent fire at the Parkersburg warehouse and not being able to access the blaze because of “boxes stacked up along the exterior of the warehouse, closing the alley.”"

https://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/firefighters-warned-of-extreme-concerns-about-parkersburg-warehouse/article_11c257fd-1222-56a6-a5fb-9d38e53ed1fe.html

Note: Not the same fire (as evidenced by the date).

How to help -

Links to News Sources -

http://www.wvillustrated.com/story/36649951/state-of-emergency-declared-due-to-ames-plant-industrial-fire-in-parkersburg

http://www.tristateupdate.com/story/36649951/large-industrial-fire-ongoing-at-ames-plant-in-parkersburg-wv

http://www.newsandsentinel.com/news/local-news/2017/10/photo-gallery-the-parkersburg-ames-plant-fire/

http://wvmetronews.com/2017/10/22/it-just-keeps-going-wood-county-commissioner-says-of-ames-plant-fire/