Area departments assist with large Adrian fire

By DEB WUETHRICHTen Tecumseh firefighters and two trucks assisted departments from all around Lenawee County on Saturday, March 10, with a fire at a recycling center on the 1000 block of East Michigan Street.“They requested our ladder truck first, then a tanker,” said Chief Joe Tuckey of the Tecumseh Fire Department. The department was toned at 1 p.m., and stayed on the scene until approximately 6 p.m. “We could see the smoke before we left the station,” he said.Tuckey said other departments there from the northeast corner of the county included Clinton, Ridgeway and Raisin Township fire departments. “I think there were 11 or 12 in all, and Chelsea sent a tanker as well,” Tuckey said.The fire apparently started outside the building, he said, but quickly engaged the inside.“That building was completely lost, but we were able to limit damage to another building that was within 18 inches of it,” he said. “We made a pretty good stand on that.” Firefighters had assistance from some heavy equipment operators that were attempting to clean out the building in order for firefighters to get where they needed to be.An accumulation of plastics and cardboard at the facility accounted for the heavy smoke that could be seen for miles. Tuckey said such smoke can be harmful, largely because of the petroleum products used to make them.“They were basically advising people to stay indoors, but there were still a lot of people outside,” he said. “In situations like that, it’s kind of a toss up between having people go out in it to go someplace else, or to just stay inside and close up their houses.” Fumes carried in the smoke can carry harmful toxins.Tuckey said he wasn’t sure about everything that the command officers on the scene had done, but believed that the EPA would likely have been involved in a fire like that.“Most fire departments are not equipped for the air monitoring that needs to be done,” he said. “I suspect that the EPA was contacted in this case.”