Former steel mill fire prompts evacuation of 300 homes
LACKAWANNA, N.Y. – Officials have ordered the evacuation of 300 homes downwind of a fire at a former steel mill site outside Buffalo, citing air quality concerns.
Fire crews remain at the smoky scene in Lackawanna on Thursday, 24 hours after the fire started inside a massive building housing several businesses on the former Bethlehem Steel site.
Officials say the blaze is contained but may continue to burn for days in hard-to-reach areas.
Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo visited the site Thursday. Local schools were closed due to smoky conditions.
Families were asked to stay with friends or relatives, or go to shelters at a senior centre and the high school.
More than 100 firefighters from Lackawanna, Buffalo and other communities struggled throughout Wednesday to extinguish the blaze. No injuries have been reported.
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