City, state and federal officials today released an update on response activities.
New updates below in red.
This morning, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer declared a state of emergency for Menominee County. View the executive order here.
A Frequently Asked Questions document is available for residents. If residents have questions, they can call 211 for more information.
The fire is contained and under control. Portions of the warehouse facility continue to burn and fire suppression by local and regional fire departments are continuing.
There have been no reports of fatalities or injuries related to the incident. Fire crews from several jurisdictions remain on-scene extinguishing the fire.
In addition to water, yesterday the fire department starting using non-PFAS Class A foam at the site as a wetting agent. The two foams are: ANSUL SILV-EX PLUS Class A Fire Control Foam Concentrate and CHEMGUARD DIRECTATTACK Class A foam.
As fire suppression efforts continue, the active fire continues to subside.
Preparation and planning are underway for management of fire suppression water and building and fire-related debris.
An Incident Management Team has been requested from Michigan to assist in the management of the fire suppression operations and coordination of efforts to mitigate the incident. The request has been approved by the State and is being assembled. No ETA on their arrival.
EPA is currently evaluating air monitoring data and coordinating results with local and state agencies.
EPA continues to conduct air monitoring and sampling and will do so until the fire is extinguished. It’s anticipated there will be a need for ongoing air monitoring as the cleanup and debris removal from the site ensues over the coming weeks.
Public health agencies advise residents continue to avoid smoky areas.
Diking and levy’s continue being added and improved to capture runoff water. A collection pond has been constructed for temporary storage of runoff water.
EPA is coordinating with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) on surface water sampling at 21 locations and testing related to potential run-off from the incident site to the Menominee/Marinette water treatment plants and adjacent Menominee River.
EPA, state agencies and local water utilities are coordinating to implement sampling to confirm that there are no impacts to drinking water supplies and will share results as they become available.
State and federal environmental agencies are also in communication with the industrial tenants of the warehouse to determine what chemicals were present in the warehouse at the time of the fire.
The incident is being handled under a unified command structure led by EPA.
Agencies participating in the unified command are EGLE, Wisconsin DNR, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), Menominee County, Marinette County, Public Health, Delta & Menominee Counties, Marinette County Public Health, the cities of Menominee and Marinette, and the industrial tenants of the warehouse.
A joint information center has been established by the unified command to keep the public informed as response activities continue. The JIC will send updates to the press by 3 p.m. CT each day of the response. For more information, please visit: https://response.epa.gov/menomineewarehousefire.
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