At approximately 12:20 on 09/10/2011, the National Response Center notified EPA of a fire at the Stollberg, Inc facility located in Niagara Falls, NY. At around 9:30 last night, a hopper car filled with aluminum powder caught fire due to a malfunction in the electrical system. Approximately 4500 pounds of material was on fire and produced a significant amount of smoke. A temperature inversion held the smoke closer to the ground. Fire, HazMat, Police, DOH, and NYSDEC personnel responded to the fire which injured one factory worker. A shelter-in-place order was broadcasted for residents located within one-half mile of the facility, while the City of Niagara utilized its reverse 911 call system to warn some 20,000 residents of potential hazardous air. It is unclear if any air monitoring was conducted by responding agencies, however discussions with NYSDEC indicated that perhaps none was. News reports indicate that air quality checks were conducted early this morning and an "all clear" was given. A CSX railyard located adjacent to the Stollberg, Inc. facility was impacted by debris. The fire was out at approximately 1:30 this morning, however the shelter-in-place announcement continued to be broadcasted until 8:00 this morning. At the same time, the CSX property restarted operations. EPA has been in contact with NYSDEC Region 9 personnel to discuss community concerns that have been reported, which are minimal at this time. Facility information will be handed over to regulatory programs to determine if EPA has any jurisdiction over the company.
On 09/10/2011, EPA contractors responded to the incident to conduct an assessment of the facility,
