Ames, an old lawn and garden plant that stored recyclable plastic and many different types of chemicals, quickly became a disaster area as it burst into flames late last month. Around 1 am on Saturday October 21, the large plant began to burn in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Twenty fire departments from six counties worked for over a week to bring it to an end. It was reported that by the end of first day of the fire, over nine million gallons of water, coming from both the city and river water sources, had already been used. As smoke continued to fill the air in surrounding parts of West Virginia and Ohio all of last week, local schools cancelled class and events, such as football games. After the schools were tested over the weekend following the start of the fire, they were said to be safe and classes resumed, beginning on Monday, October 30. There were zero reported deaths during the intense fire, although there were several people who received treatment because of the smoke. Government officials declared a state of emergency because of the air quality in West Virginia last week. The area of over 400,000 square feet is now covered in complete rubble. Thankfully, the Ames plant fire has been brought to an end and the massive black clouds of smoke no longer fill the air. ​