An ominous plume of black smoke was visible “for miles” after plastic at an Ogden, Utah, railyard caught fire, KSTU reports.
What’s happening?
On the afternoon of Tuesday, Aug. 26, firefighters responded to what they first believed was a “grass fire.”
However, authorities quickly realized that the conflagration was fueled by something far more toxic than dry brush.
A railyard’s plastic construction pipe debris was burning, releasing dark, acrid fumes of smoke. Ogden Fire Chief Mike Slater told KSTU it was difficult to subdue the material fueling the flames.
“It’s black, plastic pipe, like 3 foot, 4 foot, very flammable, and once it catches on fire, it’s hard to put out,” Slater explained.
Ultimately, the plastic fire in Ogden didn’t result in any injuries, and no homes were threatened, but cargo trains were temporarily rerouted as firefighters handled the conflagration, and the smoke may have threatened the lungs of anyone close enough to breathe some of it in — and some experts say that risk can linger, too.
Why is this incident worrisome?
Although it appeared no one was hurt and damage was minimal in Ogden, fires aren’t only a risk to public health when they’re burning.
Dr. Randal Martin, a professor of Environmental Engineering at Utah State University, spoke with the outlet about the implications of the plastic fire.
Martin’s areas of expertise are “air quality” and “air pollution control,” and he discussed broader concerns and risks to human health posed when materials like plastic are burned.
Martin spoke about how particulate matter continues to drift through the air after such a fire is extinguished, particles that inevitably must land on a surface.
“If you have plastic pipes, probably polyvinyl chloride, something along those lines, that then gets released into the atmosphere,” he began.
“These non-wildland fires that typically have some other source generally have some other chemical compounds that we need to be concerned about,” Martin warned.
He added that being able to detect a scent in the air — like that of a fire — could signal exposure to the chemical byproducts of plastic or other potentially toxic materials.
According to Martin, Tuesday’s rain didn’t “necessarily … scrub out the atmosphere,” but the weather’s changing wind patterns could work to blow particles away “fairly quickly.”
What’s being done about it?
Per KUTV, an investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.
Although the plastic fire in Ogden was quickly extinguished, Martin cautioned residents to be mindful of lingering air pollution.
During and after incidents like the Ogden fire, the Environmental Protection Agency provides general guidelines for fire safety.
They include staying indoors during an active fire in your vicinity and following evacuation orders if they are issued. If you live in the area, it’s also likely worthwhile to run at least one air filter inside your home as well, as many households do when exposed to wildfire smoke or when running a gas stove.
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