RICHMOND, Ind. — The Indiana Department of Homeland Security has deemed the cause and origin of the My Way Trading warehouse fire in Richmond undetermined.
The fire damaged My Way Trading’s industrial site that spanned two properties on F Street. It first broke out in April 2023, triggering evacuations and investigations.
The latest examination of the blaze by the IDHS indicates the origin of the fire was a 20×20 area in a centralized location at the My Way Trading site. The area of origin was located outside the buildings on the property.
The IDHS reported that the exact cause of the fire could not be proven definitively because of the excessive damage the blaze caused. The tens of thousands of gallons poured on the site to put the fire out also made it difficult for investigators to figure out what sparked the flames.
Per the IDHS, the fire also included “an enormous amount of runoff that eliminated and removed any potential evidence that may have been helpful in determining cause and origin.”
The IDHS reached its conclusion in collaboration with the Indiana State Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the Richmond Fire Department.
According to the IDHS, the State Fire Marshal’s Office only works to determine cause and origin, and the results of its findings can only fit into one of four categories:
- Accidental — A fire that is not caused by a deliberate human act to ignite or spread the fire
- Natural — A fire caused by natural events like lightning, wind, earthquakes
- Incendiary — A fire that is deliberately set by someone who knows that it should not be set
- Undetermined — A fire where the cause cannot be proven
Previous reporting indicates fire and building inspectors had visited the site before the fire. They observed a building in disarray and flagged multiple safety and fire code violations.
Investigators reported that pallets of scrap plastics were stacked on top of each other and haphazardly arranged on the site.
Officials feared the business had grown into a massive fire hazard. The businesses’ owners were given 90 days to remedy the issues that officials found.
Before the fire broke out, My Way Trading reportedly tried to take the City of Richmond to court to try to get the clean-up order thrown out.
After the fire, the Environmental Protection Agency evaluated the site for asbestos, lead and benzene. Lead and benzene were found on the site, but asbestos was not.
The EPA completed its cleanup of the site in March. The cleaning project was estimated to have a $2.8 million price tag.
Once the EPA had finished its operations at the site, the City of Richmond stepped in to complete the cleanup of non-hazardous materials.
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