Air quality concerns arise after 4-alarm fire at North Portland recycling plant

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Although a four-alarm fire is out at a Portland metal recycling facility, neighbors' health concerns aren't going anywhere yet.

Now neighborhood residents are asking what chemicals were in Radius Recycling that could now be in the air after being urged to close their windows Wednesday due to the smoke.

"It was like an aluminum kind of taste or smell that comes into your house," recalled Karen Streeter. "So things just kind of feel real tangy."

After hours of battling the blaze, Portland fire crews are now taking care of themselves, using extraction devices in their station to clean out their gear. They will then submit exposure reports if any chemicals are found.

But as for the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), questions arise on what they're doing to test the area and if any of those same toxic chemicals potentially putting near by neighborhoods at risk.

"DEQ has been monitoring the situation," assured DEQ public affairs specialist Michael Loch. "We have not formally been involved in the response because, at the time, we, do not anticipate any hazardous materials like asbestos, chemicals, oil or other hazardous materials to have been present in the fire."

They add they are relying on the company and local partners to inform them if there were toxic materials in the facility before the fire. However, the DEQ noted they "would have taken a role in the response if these materials were present in the area, which would have included air quality sampling in the area." But they "would need to have knowledge or suspicion of a hazardous release to take a formal role in the response," which would involve the EPA.

"I think that they're just not really giving enough concern," Streeter noted. " I would like to see there be more accountability for it."

When asked why they are not sending someone from DEQ to test the burn sight, DEQ acknowledged this is an evolving situation.

KOIN 6 News reached out to Radius Recycling, owned by Schnitzer Steel Industries, to find out what health concerns there might be and haven't heard back.