Tuesday, September 1, 2026 Update
On August 28, 2026, U.S. EPA demobilized from the scene.
Ohio EPA continues to provide oversight for the responsible party’s emergency
response operations. The Toledo Fire Department remains the incident commander for the incident.
August 26-28, EPA continued air monitoring around the site perimeter and within the down-wind neighborhood but did not detect exceedances of action levels for volatile organic compounds or particulate matter. Two on-site tanks continued to emit light smoke but no smoke was observed leaving the property. EPA also monitored boom surrounding the site to ensure no potentially-contaminated materials left the site into nearby waterways. Some sheen collected at the first boom that likely was an oil substance from the facility. This will be cleaned up by the company with state oversight. No material was observed migrating beyond the first boom line immediately adjacent to the property.
Tier II Emergency Hazardous Chemical Inventory Report Summary
At the time of the fire, EPA received Brent Industries’ comprehensive inventory of hazardous chemicals stored at Brent Industries. This inventory is provided every spring to the county and state for emergency planning and regulatory compliance.
Brent Industries listed two chemicals in their report: stoddard solvent and sulfuric acid (contained within forklift and scissor lift batteries). This information helped shape EPA’s air monitoring.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
Response actions by EPA have included:
- Air monitoring in the neighborhood impacted by smoke, showing no elevated readings.
- Deploying boom into a ditch and nearby water quality monitoring to ensure oil or runoff from the site is contained and properly disposed.
- Responded to a resident worried that debris from the fire was on their property. EPA sampled the debris and determined it did not contain asbestos and could be disposed by the resident.
- On August 25, EPA noticed a white smoke cloud at the fire footprint. Perimeter air monitoring showed slightly elevated particulate matter levels while just outside of the fence line along the railway ditch. Toledo Fire Department responded to the smoking hot spot with fire suppression. Subsequent air monitoring did not detect any elevated particulate matter in the area and the smoke dissipated.
- EPA remains on site to assist the city with cleanup plans and additional air monitoring as needed. EPA has not detected any volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, or particulate matter of concern to the public.
Background (updated
for clarity)
On Tuesday, August 18, at 10 a.m., EPA arrived at the Brent
Industries fire at 2922 South Ave. in Toledo, after receiving a request an hour
before from the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department to conduct additional air
monitoring around the fire site. The city conducted air monitoring downwind
in the potentially affected residential areas since the beginning of the
fire/explosion around 5:30 a.m. and reported to EPA that they had not observed
elevated volatile organic compound, or VOC, readings. The main chemical of
concern stored at the property was stoddard solvent.
Before EPA arrived onsite, the responders
reached out to ATSDR for initial health guidance with the understanding that
the fire surrounding tanks filled with stoddard solvents was almost out and no
additional hazardous chemicals were at the site. ATSDR guidance included:
People should avoid smoke, if possible, by going indoors and closing
windows. Children, pregnant women, and individuals in the area who have a
history of respiratory or cardiac conditions should remain indoors or away from
the smoke plume.
Residents can take these steps to
improve their indoor environment:
- changing ventilation settings on heating and air conditioning systems (for example, operating air conditioning units on the re-circulate setting) and using more efficient filters to reduce exposure to smoke.
- using portable filtration devices, including some do-it-yourself devices, to help reduce indoor particulates. While indoors, you can create a clean room in your home to help protect your health and improve your indoor air quality to keep levels of smoke and other particles as low as possible.
- not using candles, gas, propane, wood-burning stoves, fireplaces, or aerosol sprays and not frying or broiling meat, smoking tobacco products, or vacuuming.
For reference, earlier in the morning, Ohio Central
Poison Center made these specific recommendations:
“For the neighborhood to the
east/southeast [there is a concern for] acute inhalational effects from the
smoke plume: eye/upper airway irritation, cough, wheezing or chest tightness,
and potentially headache or dizziness with solvent exposure. Stoddard solvent
can produce mucous membrane and CNS symptoms with inhalational exposure. I would advise residents in areas
with visible or noticeable smoke to minimize outdoor exposure, keep windows and
doors closed, and use HVAC on recirculate if possible, particularly those with
asthma or other underlying cardiopulmonary disease, children, and older adults.
Residents with persistent respiratory symptoms, significant chest
tightness/shortness of breath, or significant headache, dizziness, or confusion
should seek medical evaluation.”
By 12:15 p.m., EPA began roving air monitoring
for particulate matter and VOCs. At this time, the main plume of black smoke
had completely dissipated leaving only a faint, white smoke visible from the
firefighting efforts. EPA’s air monitoring for VOCs and PM detected no readings
of concern for the public.
