CAYCE, SC (WIS) -
After burning for two days, public safety officials in Cayce say an industrial fire at World Wide Recycling is out. The fire started just before 9 a.m. Friday, creating a plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles.
Emergency crews cleared the scene Sunday morning.
On Saturday, crews used heavy equipment to push and expose debris so they could douse the smoldering ruins. Fire crews had been on the scene since Friday morning.
Lt. Jeff Simmons with the Cayce Department of Public Safety said about 30 fire departments and emergency agencies from throughout South Carolina responded to the blaze.
"Words cannot express our deep appreciation to the South Carolina public safety community and private industries that assisted during our fire event," said Simmons. "Their help and expertise, without a doubt, has been phenomenal. We are grateful that other than a few cases of heat exhaustion and need for fluids no public safety officers or civilians have been injured."
DHEC officials issued a warning for people who live in the Riverland Park subdivision Friday and Saturday night. Although DHEC says its air monitoring determined that there is no threat to public health, smoke from the still-smoldering fire can irritate eyes and respiratory systems. The smoke could affect people who suffer from lung and heart diseases.
That warning has been lifted.
"We still smell it because the smoke is still going," said resident Donella Brown. "Not as bad as it was this morning because it was just dark."
Thick, black smoke nearly spilling into the street is how Brown described what she saw when she opened her front door Friday morning.
"It was this black cloud just settling not too far from the ground and I saw the smoke," said Brown. "It was just passing the sun."
Across 12th street is a mixture of industry and residences.
Peter Munywoki owns a store with a great view of the fire, which he watched burn all day.
"That time when it happened it was very thick and black," said Munywoki. "I hoped it didn't spread all the way this way."
Other residents could see the fire from their front porches.
"It was kinda scary this morning because when it started spreading." said Reggie Scott. "With temperatures being over a hundred, it was crazy because it covered the sun up that's how thick the smoke was."
Some residents were worried about their health.
"Even later when I came in and laid down and I got up you could smell the smoke in the house and it gives you shortness of the breath," said Brown.
"If you look at it from here, it's not like it was," said Scott. "It looks controlled right now but then again we still have smoke coming and it's still rising."
The South Carolina Forestry Commission joined efforts to prevent the fire from spreading into a nearby wooded area Friday afternoon.
The thick, black smoke is blanketed the skies above Cayce for most of Friday. That smoke was due to the petroleum-based plastic at the plant catching on fire.
"It's got a lot of fuel-load in there," Simmons said. "It's plastic, which is petroleum-based, and it's really hard to put out."
At least one firefighter was transported to a local hospital due to heat exposure. He's expected to be okay.
No other injuries have been reported and there is no estimate as to how much damage was caused.
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Sunday morning, fire is out (Source: Lt. Jeffrey Simmons)
Exterior of World Wide Recycling Saturday morning (Source: Lt. Jeff Simmons)
Saturday morning aftermath of fire (Source: Lt. Jeff Simmons)
Saturday morning aftermath of Cayce fire (Source: Lt. Jeff Simmons)
(Source: Harper Shull)
