On November 9, 2016 @ 07:30, various local fire departments responded to a fire at the Steelworks Industrial Park in Lackawanna, NY. Multiple county HazMat teams were first responders and provided initial air assessment utilizing Area-Rae monitors, Multi-Rae PRO monitors and Multi-Rae Plus monitors (flammability, CO, O2, H2S SO2, & VOC). Occupational monitoring for the responders was also established by the local HazMat. There were no known bulk hazardous materials at the warehouse. There were some plastics recycling at the warehouse and other items stored include steel coils, boats, RVs, and small palletized items. No evacuation was initially executed, although nearby residents were advised to shelter in place.
Around 16:00, fire suppression was suspended due to building structural safety concerns but began again around midnight. The firefighter leadership expected the firefighting activities to continue for several days. Firefighting activities were limited due to severe structural damage to the building.
EPA was in a support role to the City of Lackawanna, Erie County and NY State. EPA was requested to provide particulate air monitoring and air sampling throughout the emergency phase of the response. Changing wind direction altered the impact of the plume. Air monitoring and sampling locations were chosen and adjusted accordingly with changing weather conditions. Initially the smoke plume was tracking west.
