WAHPETON, N.D. (AP) — The Richland County emergency manager says a look at a burned out industrial plant from the outside shows some production lines intact and barrels of chemicals with the covers still on.
''I can't tell if we have any leakage or not, but it's a good sign,'' emergency manager Brett Lambrecht said.
A hazardous material team was preparing to go into the Industrial Plating Corp. plant Thursday morning, for the first time since the fire early Monday that forced hundreds of Wahpeton residents to leave their homes for several hours.
One firefighter was treated for minor chemical burns on his feet. No other injuries were reported.
The plant used chemicals to clean metal. A Minnesota contractor has been hired to clean up the hazardous material.
''All the fire, we believe, is out, with a little smoldering going on,'' Lambrecht said Wednesday. ''But they're going to go in and make entry to test everything, to see where we're at.''
An ambulance would be on standby, he said.
The hazardous materials team must check the burned building before the state fire marshal's office can get inside to investigate the cause of the fire.
