Indiana

A massive blaze broke out at a plastic recycling factory in the US state of Indiana on Tuesday, leading to the release of a towering plume of smoke which officials said was "definitely toxic". Thousands of people were evacuated after the fire broke out. The fire occurred in the city of Richmond and was under control. However, it was still burning Wednesday, officials told a news conference. 

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) officials said they haven't found any toxins so far. But they said that testing wasn't done inside the evacuation zone for safety reasons and suggested that the heat of the fire may be keeping any toxins high in the air.

The agency is testing to know whether the smoke comprises toxins than can cause cancer, EPA official Jason Sewell said. However, they haven't found any yet. Earlier, state fire marshal Steve Jones said the blaze is "definitely toxic." A local reporter said the smoke smelled "like tear gas".

Debris is likely to reach the houses of residents and they have been warned not to touch or move any of it as some materials may contain asbestos and other toxins. The evacuation order remained in place as of Wednesday and affects around 2,000 people. 

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At least one firefighter has been injured but there have been no other casualties so far, Richmond mayor Dave Snow told the news conference.

US President Joe Biden also spoke to Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb and offered federal assistance, the White House said.

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The facility's owner has been blamed for the fire for following "unsafe" procedures. "That business owner is fully responsible for all of this," Snow told reporters. 

"This person has been negligent and irresponsible and it's led to putting a lot of people in danger today."

Snow further said that the city had been pushing to hold the owner accountable for following wrong practices much before the fire broke out.

(With inputs from agencies)

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