A massive explosive has completely destroyed a lithium-ion battery plant in Missouri, according to reports.
Crews are cleaning up after the explosion triggered a large fire at the battery recycling plant in southeast Missouri.
The Fredericktown Fire Department gave an update at 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Officials said fire personnel remain on the scene and part of the collaborative effort between Critical Mineral Recovery, and local, state, and federal officials in response to this fire.
The fire remains contained as expert fire suppression teams continue to work around the clock to work on the remaining hot spots in the building.
The incident prompted a local evacuation of residents of nearby Fredericktown.
Specialized contractors have set up infrastructure to contain water on site and avoid runoff.
The fishkill two miles downstream from the facility is being investigated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Missouri Department of Conservation, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
Agencies are conducting water samples at numerous areas downstream from the Critical Mineral Recovery facility.
According to the fire department, Critical Mineral Recovery is working to answer questions for the affected community members.
On Friday, crews with the Environmental Protection Agency increased its monitoring efforts.
According to the EPA, the agency is conducting 24-hour monitoring to detect volatile organic compounds, hydrogen fluoride, and more.
They said crews did detect one chemical above the EPA’s action levels in the evacuation zone north of the fire on Wednesday but had not found any other chemicals since.
The EPA spokesman said while the smoke from the remaining fire decreased, they encouraged people to avoid any plumes of smoke from the fire.
Fredericktown residents will notice an increased EPA presence and air monitoring equipment around the scene of the fire.
As of Saturday, EPA has two teams performing mobile air monitoring around the scene, 24 hours a day.
EPA has also expanded its fixed-air monitoring stations.
The federal agency is starting to collect air samples for heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Air monitoring and air sampling data are being relayed to the Fredericktown Fire Department Chief for decision-making purposes.
The fire department says they remain at the ready to alert the public if any detections that are hazardous are realized.
Fortunately, there were no casualties that were reported.
Videos from the scene captured the huge explosions from the plant that tore the building apart.
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A spokesperson with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources said in consultation with the Missouri Department of Agriculture, they have not been made aware of any direct concerns to livestock or pets in the area due to the fire.
If any livestock or pets show signs of illness, they encourage you to contact your local veterinarian.
As always, they say livestock owners should ensure animals have access to clean water sources.
“This is still a dynamic situation that may change as we learn more about the impacts of this event,” the spokesperson said.
“If ongoing environmental monitoring reveals new information that indicates public health, animal, or environmental concern, we will work with local authorities to notify the public.”
According to the fire department, crews will continue to work at the facility for the next several days.
The City of Fredericktown public water source continues to have no known impacts and testing to confirm this information is being completed.
The company, Critical Mineral Recovery, is a massive lithium-ion battery recycling facility.
On its website, the company says the 225,000-square-foot plant is used to “recycle lithium-ion-battery-related materials from battery manufacturers, automotive OEMs, battery dealers, recyclers, and processors worldwide.”
The company describes the plant as “one of the largest lithium-ion battery processing facilities in the world.”
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