NEWBURGH — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it had completed its cleanup activities a little more than a week after a fire at a Newburgh electroplating facility deposited ash across parts of Warrick County, Indiana.
The EPA completed its cleanup operation Sept. 15 and dissolved a unified command structure with state and local agencies after officials agreed the arrangement was no longer needed.
The federal agency also released a detailed accounting of its work in Warrick County, reporting that more than 100 property owners utilized an EPA email address to request ash and fire debris assessments.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management will continue to oversee cleanup efforts at the site of the Sept. 6 fire, a manufacturing facility operated by PBTT Corp. along Vann Road in Newburgh.
Ohio Township Fire Chief Scott Foreman said the fire, which took 14 hours to extinguish, was largely confined to a rear area outside the facility.
While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials believe it was fueled by magnesium alloys and other combustible metals utilized in PBTT Corp.’s manufacturing process.
The fire led to the formation of a large, wind-blown smoke plume, which deposited white-gray ash in surrounding areas and temporarily forced thousands of nearby residents to shelter in place.
EPA: Ash not as ‘harsh’ as initially feared
On Sept. 7, the same day EPA officials first arrived on site, the Warrick County Health Department reported that preliminary tests had shown the ash to be “very caustic” and urged anyone who touched or inhaled it to seek medical attention.
But within days, the EPA revised that assessment, and this week stated that additional testing revealed the ash appeared to be less harmful than initially feared.
You can review all of the EPA’s updates on the PBTT fire and answers to frequently asked questions here.
“Based on data collected so far, the ash itself is alkaline and mostly made up of the metals magnesium, iron and calcium,” the agency stated. “Early data indicates that the ash isn’t as harsh or alkaline as the first tests suggested. These metals can be found in soil and are naturally occurring.”
Despite those findings, EPA staff and federal contractors conducted a large-scale inspection and cleanup operation in the fire’s aftermath.
According to the agency, of the 109 property owners who requested ash and fire debris assessments, the EPA was able to inspect 80 properties, 10 of which required cleaning.
“In addition, 29 property owners reported ash and either declined to be assessed or did not provide enough information,” the agency stated Monday.
The EPA referred four commercial properties located within a “grass mowing advisory area,” which encompasses much of the industrial park surrounding the PBTT Corp. facility, to PBTT Corp. for cleanup.
Data released by the agency shows that ash cleaning operations were confined to properties within a five-mile radius of the fire. The majority of affected properties were located within two miles of the PBTT Corp. facility.
Vann Park reopens after EPA cleanup
The Warrick County Commission closed Vann Park, located across Vann Road from the site of the fire, due to large amounts of ash there, and contaminated water runoff from the fire triggered a fish kill at Vann Park Pond.
After the EPA vacuumed and wiped away ash from affected areas at Vann Park, including a playground and four baseball fields, the Warrick County Commission announced the park would reopen to the public Tuesday.
Health Department distributing free cleaning supplies
Also on Tuesday, the Warrick County Health Department began to distribute free cleaning supplies to anyone who resides in the area designated with a shelter-in-place order during the fire or who found ash or fire debris on their property.
Those in need of cleaning supplies are asked to call the Warrick County Health Department at 812-897-6105 or the Warrick County Commission at 812-897-6120.
The EPA likewise instructed residents who find additional ash to contact the Warrick County Health Department for assistance.
Cause of fire still under investigation
The Indiana State Fire Marshal is leading the investigation into the cause of the fire at the PBTT Corp. facility, while IDEM is leading the on-site cleanup effort and conducting environmental and regulatory assessments, according to the EPA.
As of Tuesday, the investigation was ongoing and a precise cause had not been released.
But officials’ public statements, a review of IDEM inspection reports and interviews with six former PBTT Corp. employees and persons with knowledge of the company’s operations shed light on several potential factors.
The EPA and Ohio Township Fire Chief Scott Foreman identified “combustible metals” as having fueled the fire, and IDEM inspection reports show that last year, the agency questioned PBTT Corp.’s practice of storing large quantities of magnesium alloy chips near the rear of its Newburgh facility — the approximate location of the Sept. 6 fire.
According to an October 2024 IDEM inspection report, PBTT Corp. maintained that it recycles the metals on site, but the sheer volume of magnesium alloy chips stored at the facility led IDEM staff to conclude PBTT Corp. was “generating the chips faster than they can use them and (were) storing excess magnesium instead of disposing of it.”
An industrial engineer with knowledge of PBTT Corp.’s manufacturing process, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, said the chips are “about the size of your pinky finger nail” and are “very easy to burn.”
In a formal response to IDEM’s findings, PBTT Corp. stated the chips would be converted into powder and “utilized in other manufacturing processes at our facility” through a recycling process.
According to company documents and interviews, PBTT Corp. specializes in electroplating and the manufacture of firearms components, archery parts and other machined metal products using a proprietary magnesium alloy called Magnite.
While officials have identified magnesium as one of the combustible metals believed to be a contributing factor in the Sept. 6 fire, it remains unclear whether the same magnesium alloy chips cited by IDEM remained on site at the PBTT Corp. facility as of September.
According to IDEM, the company is cooperating with investigators and regulators. In a public statement released after the fire, PBTT Corp. stated safety was the company’s “top priority.”
“We are grateful for the partnership with first responders and local, state and federal authorities as we work together to remediate the situation at our facility,” the statement reads.
Houston Harwood can be contacted at houston.harwood@courierpress.com.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: EPA completes federal cleanup after fire at PBTT Corp. facility in Newburgh
Reporting by Houston Harwood, Evansville Courier & Press / Evansville Courier & Press
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