Experts address concerns over Industrial fire in Albuquerque

Mar 05, 2024

The fire contained plastic toxins that caused a large cloud of black smoke throughout the day

The fire contained plastic toxins that caused a large cloud of black smoke throughout the day

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The fire contained plastic toxins that caused a large cloud of black smoke throughout the day

The alarming smoke from Sunday's industrial fire raised concerns in the Albuquerque community about how safe the air quality is, outside and inside homes.

For people who own swamp coolers, experts believe the air inside these homes should not be affected by the fire's smoke. There is a cooling pad, also known as a media pad, inside the swamp cooler that helps turn warm air into cool air. James Johnson is a manager at Thompson Heating and Air Conditioning in Albuquerque. He said the media pad helps keep the toxins floating around from going through your air vent.

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"As long as the media pads are staying wet, there is highly unlikely opportunity for particles to get into the home, but if the water distribution system isn't properly maintained or if there are media pads that are not getting wet, there is a possibility of some of the particles getting into the home," said Johnson.

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Johnson also told us if your home was engulfed in the smoke or if you're smelling an odor different in your home now than you were a couple of days ago, you should get your system checked by an HVAC.

The city of Albuquerque's Environmental Health Department confirmed Monday morning that the fire was put out, and it is safe for people to be inside.

Now that the fire has been put out, the cleaning process of any toxins will fall back on the business owner to work with the state or other agencies. We reached out to United Poly Systems for a comment, but they have yet to respond.