The shelter in place order for the Town of Hamburg has been lifted, but Route 5 near the old Bethlehem Steel plant remains closed until further notice while crews continue to fight Wednesday's massive fire.
According to Great Lakes Industrial Development, the cause of the fire burning at Steel Works Industrial Park in Lackawanna has not been determined.
Great Lakes Industrial Development owns Steel Works and also reported no injuries so far.
"First and foremost, we are extremely grateful that all employees at the site are safe, and for the tremendous response of the firefighters who continue to battle the fire," said Chris Wietig of Great Lakes Industrial Development. "Our immediate thoughts and focus are on the safety of everyone at and surrounding the site, as well as with the tenants whose businesses will be impacted by this devastating event. While we do not yet know the full extent of the damage, it is certain that some tenants and workers will be displaced as a result of the fire."
Officials already know that the fire has damaged space occupied by Industrial Materials Recycling (IMR), a post-industrial plastics recycler.
Great Lakes Industrial says both IMR and Steel Works have several environmental requirements that they continuously adhere to, including strict oversight from the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
The company says IMR held its daily safety inspection and walk-through when the fire was noticed around 7 a.m. Emergency crews were immediately notified and IMR staff and other tenants were evacuated.
Great Lakes Industrial says no previous fires have occurred at the facility. They also say the current fire is not believed to have started in an adjacent storage facility.
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