This is an ongoing story and may be updated.
The industrial warehouse fire in Parkersburg is completely out and the shelter in place order has been lifted. Now is the time for cleanup and remediation, as well as an investigation into what caused the blaze.
The fire began Saturday, July 4 at the Peoples Cartage warehouse. It was extinguished, but then flared back up Sunday, July 5. By that afternoon, the warehouse was fully engulfed. It wasn’t until Tuesday evening, July 7 that the fire was declared fully extinguished, and all firefighting units left the scene. However, a six-person watch crew did remain on site overnight to make sure the fire did not reignite.
The West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) said in a statement the agency is transitioning its response to environmental cleanup and remediation.
“The site is being turned over to the responsible party, which is identifying an environmental contractor to handle cleanup and remediation under WVDEP oversight. Initial work will include characterizing debris to determine appropriate disposal methods and conducting a broader assessment of the site and surrounding areas.”
A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of West Virginia as a proposed class action suit, representing the community around the warehouse. First reported by MetroNews, the lawsuit alleges negligence by Peoples Cartage and Total Distribution, Incorporated caused the release of smoke, ash, soot, and other airborne contaminants which impacted surrounding neighborhoods.
The suit claims the warehouse owners turned off the sprinkler system after Saturday’s fire, leaving the facility unprotected once the fire restarted.
WVDEP personnel assessed the site Wednesday to determine whether additional controls are necessary to minimize runoff during cleanup activities and continued sampling efforts in the Little Kanawha River.
Preliminary laboratory results remain well below applicable West Virginia water quality standards and additional analysis is ongoing.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now removing the temporary air monitors, but remains fully prepared to immediately redeploy those assets, if needed.
EPA is deploying a specialized mobile laboratory and field analytical service to provide on-site testing of agricultural samples collected from local farms, coordinated by West Virginia Department of Agriculture. This ensures that state agricultural and environmental agencies and local farmers receive rapid information about the safety of area farmlands and home gardens.
WVDA has issued guidance and established an online portal for farmers, gardeners and agricultural producers who believe their operations may have been affected by debris fallout.
The West Virginia State Fire Marshal’s Office is leading the investigation into the origin and cause of the fire. As site cleanup progresses, the WVDEP will conduct separate inspections related to the agency’s regulatory jurisdiction.
DEP officials were called to the facility in March and again in June of last year to respond to hazardous waste fires. The facility had previously been cited for a similar pair of fires in July 2020.