After a fire in June, Superior Battery owner Jin Zheng said he loves the community of Morris and he intends to clean up the mess. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency doesn’t think he’s doing it fast enough. The agency sent in its contractors last month and took an inventory of what’s inside the former paper mill building where Zheng stored lithium batteries for a business startup.
EPA spokesman Joshua Singer says the agency will remove the batteries in the spring. The batteries and any other hazardous material will be sent off-site for disposal.
More than 3,000 Morris residents were out of their homes for several days during the fire. Fire fighters couldn’t spray water on it, because it can react with lithium and make it explode. A fire fighting foam couldn’t be used in the populated area either, because it also contained a hazardous material.