DETROIT – State inspection records reveal an oil recycling facility in Detroit received multiple safety violations just weeks before a massive fire erupted at the site.
The safety violations include improper storage of liquid industrial by-product (LIB) after totes and drums were found stored outside and exposed to the weather.
Another violation noted, “several indoor secondary containment areas and sumps containing excessive LIB, some to the point of being completely full and even overflowing.”
The fire happened at an Aevitas facility near Jefferson Avenue and Conner Street.
At around 2:30 a.m. on Monday, June 30, 2025, an employee reported seeing steam in the facility and hearing a bang, which prompted the facility to undergo an emergency shutdown procedure. The fire then erupted.
Firefighters responded to the site at around 5 a.m. to begin battling the flames.
Crews were able to put out the fire and stop further leakage by 8 a.m. Hazmat teams were called to the site and air-monitored the scene.
Detroit fire chief Michael Borg said a firefighter had a back injury while putting out the flames and was taken to a hospital.
That firefighter was expected to be OK, and no other injuries were reported.
Currently, it’s not clear what caused the fire. The investigation is still underway.
State had safety concerns before fire
A Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) compliance report highlighted safety concerns at the facility.
The document shows that Aevitas was cited for three violations during a May 13, 2025, inspection:
- Vehicles that are used to transport hazardous materials are required to have a copy of the notice of registration form and permit. During the inspection, a random vehicle’s credentials were checked, and that vehicle did not have a copy of the most current Act 138 registrations. This issue was corrected while investigators were on site.
- Liquid industrial by-products (LIB) are required to be protected from the weather. During the inspection, there were several totes and drums of LIB stored outdoors and exposed to the weather. The containers were located along the fence line to the west of the facility. Aevitas was instructed to process or remove the LIB containers from the outdoor area.
- All tanks used to hold LIB are required to be closed or covered. During the inspection, there were several indoor containment areas and sumps that contained excessive LIB, some of which were completely full or overflowing. Aevitas was instructed to clean out the area and provide a work plan or schedule preventative maintenance to ensure the areas are cleaned out more frequently.
Aevitas responds to safety violations
Aevitas Specialty Services Corp. provided the following statement:
“Aevitas is committed to following the highest safety and environmental standards. We are continuously working to improve and upgrade our processes. In the normal course of business, we are in regular contact with federal, state and local regulators and expect unannounced inspections.
“As you have presented, we have had a handful of inspections in recent years that have resulted in common, minor violations that we corrected. We take them all seriously and work immediately in all cases to take corrective action.
“As for the May 2025 inspection: While we are cooperating with the investigation in the cause of the June 30th fire, and still do not know the exact cause, we can say definitively that nothing noted in that inspection report from May was related to the fire. EGLE gave us months to correct the minor issue the inspection brought to our attention and it was addressed right away. Please note our official notification of the issues noted in this inspection arrived after the fire.
“As for the August 2024 inspection, we learned of the issue and the containment pad area mentioned in the report is being washed and pumped every day since the notification. You asked why the violation occurred and the answer to that question, as we explained to our regulators, is that it was an operational improvement that we agreed needed to be implemented.
“The 2022 violation dealt with a self-reported error that occurred at a customer location – not at our site – and related to practices at that customer location, not at ours. All the parties involved worked together to resolve the situation to EGLE’s satisfaction.
“In our industry, we are used to regular audits and we work frequently with the agencies to assure compliance and make improvements. We are committed to investing in our facilities to ensure operations keep up with the expectations of all of our regulators.”
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