DETROIT – An industrial fire erupted early Monday morning on Detroit’s east side.
The fire happened at an Aevitas facility, an oil recycling company, near Jefferson Avenue and Conner Street on June 30.
An Aevitas employee initially reported seeing steam in the facility and hearing a bang, prompting the area to undergo an emergency shutdown procedure. The fire then erupted.
Firefighters responded to the area at around 5 a.m. on June 30 and began battling the flames.
As of 8 a.m., crews were able to put out the fire and stop further leakage.
Fire Chief Michael Borg said some oil from the facility leaked onto the roadway, so crews are working to clean the area. He said cleanup could take anywhere between 24 to 72 hours.
Hazmat teams are on site, and officials are air-monitoring the scene. The fire chief stated that they expect to remain at the facility for another eight hours as a precaution.
Firefighter injured
Borg said a firefighter had a back injury while putting out the flames and was taken to a local hospital. He said the firefighter is expected to be okay.
No other injuries were reported.
What we know about Aevitas
Local 4’s investigative team looked into the company and found three violations through inspection reports from EGLE over a five-year period.
In October 2022, one report stated that there were persistent and objectionable odors of moderate to strong intensity, level 3, attributable to Aevitas operations, impacting the residential areas downwind of the facility. Typically, in an odor violation, inspectors come back to see if it’s corrected. There was no follow-up violation.
Red flags in facilities normally have a violation after violation, and they don’t fix the issue.
The three odor violations at the facility off Lycaste were cited, and they did not come back. It appears not to be a consistent problem.