The sports reporter: Inmetco fire

ELLWOOD CITY, PA, MONDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 11:45 AM---On Sunday, November 8, 2015, shortly before 9:00 in the morning, the city of Ellwood City, PA became engulfed in smoke. The International Metals Reclamation Company, Inc. (INMETCO) plant went up in flames, as firefighters from several different areas battled to contain the fire. According to INMETCO's website, the company is "a leading recycler of metal-bearing wastes in North America" that recycles "thousands of tons of nickel, chromium, iron, molybdenum and cadmium bearing wastes annually."

According to WPXI.com, the fire began in an area of the plant where there was lithium, liquid cadmium, and lead acid. It was contained around 10:40 am, but rekindled around 8:30 pm, when crews were called back out to extinguish the fire again. The building was destroyed.

WPXI.com reported that four fire fighters suffered chemical burns to their hands, according to the fire chief. Two of them were treated and returned to the fire scene, while the other two remained hospitalized, but are not seriously injured.

Smoke could be seen in the sky for miles around on Sunday morning. Medical officials said that there is no public health hazard and no evacuations are needed at this time. However, nearby residents are asked to stay indoors and keep doors and windows closed until the smoke clears.

Even though I missed the actual fire, I believe that this still qualifies as a breaking news story. I was there about 27 hours after the fire began and smoke was still billowing above the plant. The smell of smoke was in the air for miles even before I got to the site. I was not able to get very close to the actual plant, so all of my videos and photos are a little distance away. I stood at the entrance of the parking lot leading to the plant. The reason that I couldn't get much closer was that the whole complex had a chain link fence surrounding it that had barbed wire at the top to prevent people from climbing the fence. It was sort of like a prison, except instead of keeping people in, they want to keep people out.

When I was there, a news crew from WBKN in Youngstown was also there filming. This continues to be a breaking news story, because the threat may not be over. Just like the fire rekindled hours after it was contained, as long as it is still smoking, the possibility remains that the same thing could happen again. And with the potentially dangerous chemicals located in the plant, public safety continues to be a concern.