According to transients who were temporarily residing within an abandoned electroplating facility in Fort Smith, Sebastian County, Arkansas, at 0900 hours on 03 April 2008, a fire ignited resulting in the destruction of the office and water treatment unit at US Forgecraft. US Forgecraft is a defunct, Superfund removal site located at 95 South Third Street and adjacent to the confluence of the Poteau and Arkansas Rivers. Due to the nature of chemical constituents formerly housed within the facility, state authorities notified EPA-PRB to request air monitoring support and coordinate results with local authorities. At 1121 hours, EPA mobilized the EPA-START team to respond to the incident location; perform an incident investigation; perform air monitoring and water sampling; and coordinate with local, state, and federal officials
At 1330 hours on 3 April 2008, EPA representatives arrived at the incident location and coordinated response activities with local authorities, including Fort Smith Fire Department and Sebastian County DEM. Fire department personnel extinguished the fire by 1200 hours on 3 April 2008 and lifted a local shelter-in-place order that had been established. Fire department officials suppressed and extinguished the fire with the use of Class-A bio-degradable foam. The plume migrated downwind and across the Arkansas River to Moffet, Ok. Residents and students at Moffet Elementary were initially ordered to shelter-in-place and were later evacuated elsewhere. Students were transferred to Roland Elementary. Following coordination with Fort Smith officials, Moffet officials lifted the shelter-in-place and evacuation orders.
EPA representatives performed mobile and stationary air monitoring at the facility and multiple locations upwind and downwind to the site in Fort Smith and Moffet. A second team of EPA representatives arrived at 1630 hours and conducted a second round of air monitoring at the facility and multiple locations upwind and downwind to the site in Fort Smith. EPA representatives also developed a water sampling plan. EPA Senior OSC Greg Fife arrived by 1700 hours, coordinated with local authorities, and disseminated air monitoring results. EPA representatives determined that hazardous vapors were non-detect in locations monitored.
EPA will perform water sampling events at the compromised facility on 4 April 2008.
The fire-damaged portion of the facility is structurally unsound and concerns exist relating to possible asbestos containing materials associated with the ceiling and siding.
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