FREDERICKTOWN, Mo. – A large fire has emerged from a battery plant Wednesday afternoon in Fredericktown, Missouri. Officials are ordering evacuations.
“Per the Madison County Sheriffs Office EVERYONE North and North West of village creek road and Madison 217 needs to Evacuate IMMEDIATELY!” said Madison County 911 in a Facebook post.
The large fire and heavy smoke emerged from the Critical Mineral Recovery battery processing plant near Highway OO and Highway 72.
It’s believed the fire began around the 2 p.m. hour. No injuries have been reported as of 3 p.m. Wednesday.
HAZMAT crews and various local fire departments have responded to the fire. Sources tell FOX 2 there are concerns of “toxic” fumes coming out of the facility.
FOX 2 has also learned the National Weather Service is working to provide weather support on the plume direction and dispersion.
The Critical Mineral Recovery plant is a 225,000 square foot processing facility and considered to be one of the largest lithium-ion battery processing facilities in the world. It’s unclear what caused the fire at the facility at this time.
This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.
