FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. (News First) – The Fredericktown Fire Department has issued an update to the fire that broke out this week at Critical Mineral Recovery, a lithium-ion battery processing plant, along Highway OO in Fredericktown.
“We continue to work to extinguish the remaining fire within the Critical Mineral Recovery plant at 815 HWY 00. Smoke is now intermittent with pockets of smoldering debris. Our department continues to receive guidance and support from state and federal partners as well as contractors that specialize in mitigation of industrial fires. Crews will continue to work for the next several days resulting in an active site,” a news release says.
“Yesterday’s evacuation order was only for residents along and north of Madison County Road 277 which directly abuts the facility. Emergency personnel went door to door to alert those affected of the evacuation during the initial moments of the incident. The evacuation order or shelter in place order did not apply to other areas of Fredericktown. Individuals and families living north of the facility and within the original evacuation zone can contact the Fire Department for more information.
“EPA Region 7 continues to perform mobile and stationary air monitoring and is reporting the results to us. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources is also working with us to maintain situational awareness, coordinate environmental monitoring, and oversight of the cleanup.
“To address concerns regarding water, the public drinking water system of the City of Fredericktown has experienced no problems due to this fire. There is no concern to the public water source either.
“Madison County Public Water Service District #1 has not experienced any source water problems, despite having a water office and water mains in the affected area. One water main break occurred yesterday in the North Village Creek Area causing the district to issue a Boil Water Advisory for about 30-40 residents in that area but that boil advisory was due to the water line break, not contaminants from the fire. This boil water advisory has since been canceled until further work commences.
“The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and specialized remediation contractors arrived early in the incident and continue to be present. They are working to sample and mitigate surface water and runoff from this site.
“Local first responders will continue to monitor the scene along with the other aforementioned agencies. If at any time the situation changes we will promptly notify the public of any hazards.”
Today (Fri, Nov 1st), the fire department addresses more concerns of air quality.
“As this fire incident continues to be managed we would like to assure the citizens of the community we are bringing the most up-to-date and factual information to the public,” they write on social media. “At this stage of the incident response, we have yet to have a concern or be made aware of air quality concerns outside of the original evacuation and shelter-in-place areas. Air testing has been in progress for the vast majority of the event and will continue to be a priority as this incident comes to a close. We will be bringing more updates to the community today as we continue to work with state, federal, and private contractors to mitigate this incident. If changes in conditions lead to a risk to the public we will make notifications immediately through this platform and other forms of media.”
The fire erupted midday Wednesday (Oct 30th) despite what the company’s website calls quote “likely the most sophisticated automated and remote supervised and controlled fire suppression systems in the world.” The system, which the company claims is “designed to detect fires before they start,” covers all areas where battery materials are stored and processed. The company says the site is monitored 24/7 by “high-intensity industrial forward-looking infrared…camera technology.”
Shortly after the fire erupted, the company’s website read “This site can’t be reached” generic page. The Critical Mineral Recovery Google listing also shows “temporarily closed.”
