Yesterday, the news finally came that the huge mulch fire that spread over Southern Indiana for the past few days is almost out. Late Saturday, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security reported the Fibertech Fire was 90 % contained.
Rain was a big help to the fire-fighting crews. In fact, the weather may have been the turning point in getting the huge fire under control. No one is sure where Hoosiers would be today if the meteorological conditions had not changed, bringing in rain and lessening the winds.
Seven-Acre Fire Southwest of Indianapolis: Deadly Smoke Fumes
This was a huge fire which started at the Fibertech facility in Mitchell, Indiana, on Thursday morning. A huge, compacted mulch pile ignited. It covered seven acres. Several stacks of mulch were lit, with the fire burning deep inside the compressed stacks.
Fumes from the smoke rising from the flames contained dangerous chemicals, including ammonia, benzene, and carbon monoxide. It has been reported that the carbon monoxide levels were at 300 parts per million (9 parts per million requires evacuation).
On Friday, authorities began shutting down schools in the area. Warnings were issued for those in the surrounding communities to avoid going outside and breathing in the smoke.
Those on the road were told to find another route and to avoid driving through this part of the state. West Ind. 60 was closed from Ind. 37 to U.S. 50.
Then evacuations of homes began. Families were forced to take refuge in local shelters to avoid harm from the Fibertech mulch as the fire escalated and refused to come under control.
Firefighters suffered from smoke inhalation and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment. Efforts by fire crews with their heavy, specialized equipment and overhead water drops by the Indiana Guard were not successful in stopping the fire.
By Saturday, the Southern Indiana fire was making the national news. Hospitals in the area were treating people exposed to the smoke and the fumes.
Luckily, no one has been reported to have suffered permanent injuries from this huge and dangerous fire, and thankfully no one has died as a result of the 2018 Fibertech Mulch Fire.
It’s not clear how the huge mulch fire started. No one is suggesting that it was intentionally set. Of course, serious and deadly fires can happen due to someone’s mistake or because of an Act of God. A lightning bolt during a serious storm can start a forest fire, for instance.
Fire Injuries Involve More Than Burns
For fire accident victims, their personal injuries can be harsh and sometimes permanent. Lives are altered as the result of a victim being exposed to a fire, even if they are never near enough to the flames to be scorched much less burned to any degree.
One good thing that can come from this huge mulch fire is a reminder to everyone about how deadly fires can be in ways other than burns from exposure to flames. Many serious fire injuries and fire deaths are the result of breathing in toxic chemicals contained in smoke fumes.
As the Fibertech Fire teaches us, smoke from a fire can be extremely dangerous. Imagine driving back to Indianapolis and seeing that smoke on the horizon. Would you know to avoid breathing that smoke? Would you consider that it might contain deadly levels of carbon monoxide or benzene?
Lesson: It’s important that we educate ourselves and our loved ones on the dangers of smoke as well as the dangers of flame. You can be seriously or permanently harmed or killed by toxic smoke.
For more on the kinds of harm that can result in a fire, see: Burn Injuries and Death from Accident Burns.
Legally Liability for a Fire Accident
Another lesson from the Fibertech Fire of 2018 is the responsibility that comes with anyone operating any kind of business.
Many may think about restaurants as establishments that need to be wary of the risk of a fire starting on its premises, and kitchen fires are a serious risk for those in the restaurant industry. Other obvious enterprises that need to monitor fire risks are industrial plants (steel mills, etc.) and construction sites (welding, etc.).
However, any business enterprise must stop and consider the need to protect its workers, its patrons, and the general public from the risk of fire. All commercial enterprises must be vigilant.
Why? Companies and businesses have a legal responsibility imposed by both state and federal law to keep the premises and property safe from the danger of fire. Negligence law exists to place legal liability for both personal injuries and property damage sustained in a fire. Premises liability causes of action, as well as defective product claims can also come into play here.
We have discussed this before, see: Burn Injury Accident Claims: Calculating Justice for Burn Victims.
Lesson: All Indiana business owners and operators need to consider and to review their operations for fire prevention practices and fire safety protocols, because they have a duty of care imposed by law against fire injuries and fire damage.
Legal Remedies for Fire Damage
For those that do suffer serious personal injury or tragically die as the result of injuries sustained in a fire, there are legal compensations for burn injuries established under the law.
For those accident victims that establish a breach of duty by the defendant caused their harm, they may be able to obtain recompense for medical expenses, therapy needs, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, and more.
Let us hope that the aftermath of the Southern Indiana mulch fire will be increased public awareness and increased public safety from the risks of a fire’s smoke fumes as well as its flames.
Fire is a serious threat in so many ways. Let’s be careful out there!
