A Plastic Warehouse in West Virginia Has Been Burning for a Week

Nobody knows what was being stored inside.

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Until six days ago, the Intercontinental Export Import warehouse in Parkersburg, West Virginia, was home to a wide variety of plastics including PVC, fiberglass, and Teflon for a wide range of companies. Now the building is home to a giant, raging inferno that shows no signs of stopping.

It's unclear how the fire started on Saturday morning, but it quickly grew out of control, engulfing the building and resisting all attempts to put it out. Although firefighters have been on the scene since the beginning, the most they can do is keep it from spreading to other buildings and watch mystery chemicals go up in smoke.

The warehouse did keep a record of all the materials stored in the warehouse, but apparently that list was also stored in the warehouse, so it's pretty much inaccessible. The company is searching for electronic records that might provide information, but so far have been unable to find any.

"We've been told that helpful records were destroyed in the fire but that there may be electronic records that will help paint something of a portrait about what was on site," said Lawrence Messina, a spokesperson for the Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety.

The fire has prompted West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice to declare a state of emergency, and all schools in the area have been closed for the past week. The governor is hoping that the EPA can provide assistance in identification and cleanup of possible toxins, even though preliminary tests aren't picking up anything harmful.

"We have done multiple, multiple, multiple testings of the air and so far, the multiple testings are OK," said Justice in a press conference. "But there may be some expert that's out there that knows there's something that's not OK."

The Parkersburg warehouse has also come under fire in the past for violating state safety rules. The state Department of Environmental Protection lists dozens of violations at that plant and others in a 27-page statement released Thursday. In addition, two volunteer firefighters warned of the potential for a fire at the warehouse back in 2008.

Firefighters say they are unsure how long it will be until they can put out the fire.

Source: Charleston Gazette-Mail, Huffington Post

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