Fire Contaminates River; 5,000 Flee
WOODBURN, Ind. — Residents of two Ohio towns were urged Friday to conserve tap water because of river contamination caused by a fire that swept a seed supply warehouse and forced more than 5,000 people to evacuate.
The blaze had erupted Thursday night at the Maumee Valley Seed Co. at Woodburn, three miles from the Ohio border, billowing thick, toxic smoke that sent more than 40 people to hospitals.
No serious injuries were reported but about 20 people were treated for smoke inhalation or skin and eye irritation.
By Friday afternoon, the blaze had burned itself out, and most of those evacuated from their homes because of the smoke were allowed to return.
However, residents of two Ohio towns--Bowling Green and Defiance--were urged to avoid or limit use of tap water because of arsenic and other chemicals washed into the Maumee River by runoff from the fire site.
The main structure that burned at the seed supply company was a 75-by-25-foot warehouse for seeds, pesticides and herbicides, Indiana State Police Sgt. Larry Rollins said.
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