1998: McCutchanville Responds to Mt. Vernon, Indiana Warehouse Facility Fire

December 18, 1998

In December 1998 McCutchanville responded to a large multi-tenant warehouse facility in Mt. Vernon, Indiana, which had went up in flames and burned for more than three days before the fire was finally extinguished. More than 28,000 tons of various plastic products were stored in this facility. Firefighting actuaries involved about 40 fire departments responding from Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. The Mt. Vernon fire and rescue chief served as incident commander. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency responded to the environmental problems that resulted from the burning and molten plastic material. Outside contractors were called in to monitor the atmosphere and construct berms and dikes to stem the flow of hot plastic to waterways and sewers.