Baltimore County recycling plant fire extinguished after days of smoldering, officials say

BALTIMORE -- A fire at a recycling facility in Dundalk was extinguished Monday after it smoldered for about a week, prompting air quality concerns for some residents, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department.

The fire at Owl Metals in the 1900 block of Rettman Lane began around 6 p.m. on January 18, eventually causing a building to partially collapse. 

An elderly man who lives nearby was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure, fire officials said. Fire Chief Joe Dixon said they considered an evacuation, but ultimately some residents who live near the scene were asked to shelter in place. 

Air quality concerns

On Jan. 21, residents in the area expressed concerns about air quality as a plume of thick smoke blanketed the neighborhood, making it difficult for some to breathe. 

Firefighters were on the scene as they continued to extinguish hotspots and monitor for any flare-ups.

"It's more like a fog, at points," neighbor Kelsey Evans said. "It's low lying, very thick, will burn your nose, hurt your throat."

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) said they were monitoring air quality in Essex, four miles north of the fire, but at that time levels were within a healthy range. Some residents were not convinced. 

"What are we breathing in, could it cause issues down the road for us? It's our biggest concern," Kelsey Evans said.

Fire reignites along with concerns

On Jan. 23, the recycling plant fire reignited and the MDE issued an alert about air quality in the area. 

The alert advised that people in sensitive groups that live near the facility limit their time outdoors and strenuous outdoor activities.

According to neighbors and WJZ Investigator Mike Hellgren, the smell of smoke remained in the community nearly a week later as the fire reignited. 

"You can just taste it. It gets stuck in your mouth," Evans said. "Just like breathing it in burns your nose, burns your throat, makes your eyes water." 

Evans also expressed concern about the timeliness of the air quality alert.

"I shouldn't have to sound the alarm for them to come out and test the air quality for them to say this doesn't look good. This doesn't smell good," she said. 

 According to Evans, some neighbors had to take precautions due to the smoke. 

"One of our neighbors has a son who's affected by the smoke, ended up on a steroid medication to help," Evans told WJZ. "We also have another neighbor who is very asthmatic, they ended up evacuating to their parents' house until the conditions could be deemed safe."  

The next day, Jan. 24, officials said the fire was 80% contained, however, doctors urged neighbors to take additional precautions due to the possibility of pollutants from the recycling center. 

"When they burn, [they] generate lots of different products of combustion that could include anything from heavy metals like lead and mercury to hydrocarbons like benzene and toluene," said Dr. Johnson-Arbor, a toxicologist at MedStar Health. 

Air quality levels were back to "good" by Monday, Jan. 27, according to the MDE website.