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Seems like only a couple of weeks ago, I was talking bad about lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and their inherent dangers again, when, in reality, it’s only been ten days.

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I’ve been busy and lost track of time.

Everyone’s been really super about keeping me up to date on LIB explosions and all manner of stuff (God, I love you guys), and this week, even with all the election fun and games, has been no exception.

What a whale of a blow arrived in my X mentions and DMs two days ago.

YOICKS.

Wednesday afternoon, a fire broke out at Critical Mining Recovery, a 225,000 sq ft, reportedly about-a-year-old lithium battery recycling facility in Fredericktown, Missouri. In an absolute miracle, no one at the plant was injured or killed.

Some early, precautionary evacuations were ordered at that time.

By early afternoon, the plumes of black, highly toxic smoke were so thick that the local sheriff and fire department issued an immediate evacuation order for everyone in the area, and people north of the site in the plume’s path as it lifted were told to shelter in place. And keep those houses buttoned up tight while not running things like air-conditioning that would draw the air indoors from outside.

 A massive fire broke out at the Critical Mineral Recovery facility, a battery processing plant south of St. Louis, on Wednesday afternoon, releasing thick, toxic smoke into the air and prompting an immediate response from emergency teams.

Emergency officials ordered some evacuations, while many others in the area have been asked to shelter in place.

The CMR facility is located near Highway OO and Highway 72 in Fredericktown, Missouri. The fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

By 2 p.m., the Madison County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order for people north and northwest of Village Creek Road and Madison 217. By 4 p.m., the Fredericktown Fire Department warned others in the community to “shelter in place indoors,” close windows and doors, and turn off ventilation systems.

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Residents were warned not to hang around if they smelled anything at all. Fire crews continued trying to get the blaze under control well into the evening.

…“Close windows, doors and turn off window AC systems,” the post says. “… Again, if you see smoke, stay indoors.”

Around 7:45 p.m., an emergency dispatcher told The Independent crews were still fighting the fire.

I’m sure evacuated neighbors and authorities, once the toxins settle, will be looking into what went wrong with the assurances about the building’s super-duper fire detection and suppression system.

There seems to be a massive gap between hype and performance, which is rather concerning when you look at the types of LIBs this place recycles and the fact that Critical Mining Recovery is one of the largest facilities of this type in the WORLD. 

They don’t only process the teensy little ones that pop out of your solar lawn lights.

…According to the company’s website, the plant processes electric vehicle and consumer-grade lithium-ion batteries and retrieves valuable metals and minerals, including copper, nickel, cobalt, lithium, manganese and aluminum. The recycled materials can be used to build new batteries.

The fire erupted in spite of what the company’s website calls “likely the most sophisticated automated and remote supervised and controlled fire suppression systems in the world.”

“The state-of-the-art fire prevention system is designed to detect fires before they start,” the company’s site says. “The system covers all areas where battery materials are stored or processed. It is monitored remotely 24/7 employing high-intensity industrial forward looking infrared … camera technology.” 

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If I lived downstream of this monster, I sure as hell would be asking questions.

I wonder if they asked – or had a chance to – before this thing was dropped in their neighborhood, again, one of the largest of its type in the world.

Or it was…

…However, CMR is the largest employer in Fredericktown and Watkins says the facility suffered a “total loss” from the fire, which results in the loss of 75 high-end jobs.

…and it’s not over yet, because LIBs are what they are, of course.

In the aftermath of the Fredericktown badda boom, the company is gonna sprinkle some air sensors around.

Nice.

…Watkins explained that lithium-ion batteries are inherently unstable and can easily ignite, requiring careful recycling and dismantling. Despite extensive safety measures, he noted, risks remain as Wednesday’s fire demonstrated.

“No matter how much work is done to make sure to maintain the stability of these batteries. … There’s risk. And today, something happened,” said Watkins. “There have been fires in Los Angeles, they’re large and damaging. But unlike other fires, not one injury here. But we as a nation don’t have all of the answers yet.

I wonder if they told the neighborhood about that part of it, too, before they plopped 225K sq ft of boom boom in the middle of the ‘hood? That they “don’t have all of the answers yet.”

The fact of the matter is no one’s worked out ANY of those answers out yet. For ANY of these LIB ‘facilities‘ whatever their function, be it storage, recycling, ad nauseum, wherever they might be locating them.

There are no answers to the WHAT IF THIS THING BLOWS? 

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Whatever assurances officials and plant owners gave residents before this plant was built, I have a feeling it may not be enough when the smoke dies down to allow a replacement if that’s the route the company tries to go.

…“I opened the door and the window and I heard a loud explosion and my house shook. And I thought what is going on.” 

McDaniel ran over to Scoops Frozen Custard and Espresso to take safety. 

“I was dishing. It made my knees buckle. I could feel the building. I could feel it through my feet all the way up,” said Elizabeth Welch, co-owner and operator.

 Madison County Sheriff Katy McCutcheon said that Critical Mineral personnel, fire personnel, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, and the EPA were on site working on cleanup and recovery and looking into the cause of the fire.

Residents like McDaniel were unable to return home until the dangerous smoke cleared.

“We are happy to help find them some way to stay and if the stay goes into the night. We have the Salvation Army and Red Cross that will help,” McCutcheon noted.

Residents told 5 On Your Side the plant had not been open long and were assured they would not be in danger.

ASSURED THE RESIDENTS THEY WOULD NOT BE IN DANGER

Of course, they immediately were.

You know plant operators are girding for problems when they’ve already got the lawyers out front and center, not 48 hours after the first spark lit off.

As for the plant itself, if it’s a total loss and has to be razed, how contaminated is the ground? What about the groundwater, thanks to the runoff from the fire trucks?

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Who wants them rebuilding if it only took a year to blow the whole place up?

…As of Thursday evening, residents were able to return to their homes.

Al Watkins, attorney for Critical Mineral Recovery, said the facility opened in fall 2023. Production started at the beginning of 2024.

Watkins noted the company hopes to resume operations sometime in the future.

I’d sure have a bad case of “burn me once, shame on me…and you don’t get a do-over.”