The big fire

Om April 11, 2023, a massive fire broke out at a recycling processing facility in Richmond, Indiana. It burned for several days before being brought under control.

I happened to be out taking a walk shortly around the time the blaze started. As I crossed the US-40 bridge over the Whitewater River on my way to the gorge trail, I saw a plume of smoke to the north. At the time, I assumed it was some sort of controlled burn, since there were multiple factories and industrial sites in that direction, and I didn’t hear any sirens.

Nonetheless, I like to take pictures of interesting things, and the plume was certainly interesting. I took this picture at 2:40 PM.

By the time I returned from my gorge walk, the plume had grown significantly. This picture was taken at 3:52 PM from the same location.

Down in the gorge, the thick black smoke contrasted unsettlingly with the clear blue sky. Here you can see it behind the Starr-Gennett building near the Walk of Fame.

Not too long after that the schools were cancelled and the residents were encouraged to evacuate.