Fire sweeps Madison recycling center, forces evacuations
A fire swept through a recycling business in Madison early Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of nearby homes, officials said.
The fire began about 2 a.m. Wednesday at a commercial warehouse at 9 Fox Brothers Rd., the Madison Fire Department said in a release posted on social media. Television footage showed flames leaping from buildings at Interco, a recycling company that recycles metals, computers and electronics.
Firefighters from at least five departments, including the city of St. Louis, battled the fire, which Madison Mayor John Hamm said later Wednesday morning had been brought under control.
By 11 a.m., a few flames still burned as firefighters continue to spray water hoses on the warehouse. A large column of thick, gray smoke could be seen coming from the industrial park from a mile away.
Hamm said four separate buildings had collapsed and officials were trying to track down the building’s owners to determine what was inside those structures.
“At this time we can’t actually know what’s in those buildings,” Hamm told KMOV-TV.
Hamm could not be reached for comment on Wednesday afternoon for an update.
Anthony Newson, who lives across from the recycling center, said he was awakened by two loud booms and then saw the flames.
“I look out my door and it was like an inferno. I mean, fire everywhere,” he told KSDK-TV.
Newson said he was gathering up his belongings and getting ready to leave when first responders came to his door and told him he needed to evacuate.
A BND reporter knocked on several doors in the neighborhood Wednesday morning, but no residents answered.
Tom Sims, an environmental specialist with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources regional office in St. Louis, said that none of the agency’s local air quality monitors had sounded alarms as of Wednesday afternoon.
“You might get some burning odor and haze (in St. Louis), but no monitors have been tripped yet,” Sims said.
Reporter Hana Muslic contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 8:51 AM.