Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Response actions by EPA have included:
- Air monitoring in the neighborhood impacted by smoke, showing no elevated readings.
- Deploying boom into a ditch and nearby water quality monitoring to ensure oil or runoff from the site is contained and properly disposed.
- Responded to a resident worried that debris from the fire was on their property. EPA sampled the debris and determined it did not contain asbestos and could be disposed by the resident.
- On August 25, EPA noticed a white smoke cloud at the fire footprint. Perimeter air monitoring showed slightly elevated particulate matter levels while just outside of the fence line along the railway ditch. Toledo Fire Department responded to the smoking hot spot with fire suppression. Subsequent air monitoring did not detect any elevated particulate matter in the area and the smoke dissipated.
- EPA remains on site to assist the city with cleanup plans and additional air monitoring as needed. EPA has not detected any volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, or particulate matter of concern to the public.
Background
On Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m., EPA arrived at the Brent
Industries fire at 2922 South Ave. in Toledo, after receiving a request an hour
before from the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department to conduct additional air
monitoring around the fire site. The city conducted air monitoring downwind
in the potentially affected residential areas since the beginning of the
fire/explosion around 5:30 a.m. and reported to EPA that they had not observed
elevated volatile organic compound, or VOC, readings. The main chemical of
concern stored at the property was stoddard solvent.
By 10:30 a.m., EPA began roving air monitoring for
particulate matter and VOCs. At this time, the main plume of black smoke had
completely dissipated leaving only a faint, white smoke visible from the
firefighting efforts. EPA’s air monitoring for VOCs and PM detected no
readings of concern for the public. Using this monitoring data, information
showing what chemical was at the facility, and that the smoke was now white,
the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, or ATSDR, determined
residents should treat the smoke remaining from the fire the same as wildfire
smoke.
