EPA begins removing hazards from former Detroit chemical plant
Keith Matheny, Detroit Free Press
Thu, January 29, 2026 at 8:11 PM UTC
1 min read
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has begun removing hazardous chemicals and materials from a shuttered chemical factory in Detroit.
The EMCO Chemical Inc. facility at 4470 Lawton St. produced and distributed specialty industrial chemicals until its August 2023 closure. The site was vandalized on May 28, 2024 with an on-site car set on fire. The fire spread to a building annex that contained more than 400 55-gallon drums of chemicals. The Detroit Fire Department extinguished the fire before the drums could ignite.
Within days of the fire, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the city assessed the site and discovered more than 1,000 55-gallon drums and laboratory samples, several large above-ground storage tanks and an underground holding tank. EPA testing found several of the drums contained flammable, corrosive or chlorinated chemicals.
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At the city of Detroit's request, EPA assisted in investigating and removing the hazardous substances. EPA initially worked with EMCO to secure the building, temporarily reinforced the fire-damaged structure, and began work to remove the waste for proper disposal.
"After EMCO notified EPA it lacked the finances to continue the cleanup, EPA assumed the lead and will ensure that the hazardous chemicals are safely removed and no longer a risk to the community," EPA officials said in a statement on Jan. 29.
The cleanup is expected to be complete by summer, officials said.
Contact Keith Matheny: kmatheny@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: EPA begins removing hazards from former EMCO Chemical plant