Sumter, SC (WLTX) - A fire that cause over a million dollars worth of damage in Sumter have left people nearby concerned about breathing in the smoke in the air.
Driving through Sumter this morning, all you could see was smoke filling up the sky. It could been seen miles away as far as Shaw Air Force Base.
Gregg Hodge lives nearby and saw it unfold this morning.
"It all went up in the air. I didn't know what was going on until later and then I looked out at the smoke and I knew something down there was on fire," explained Hodge.
With all the smoke in the air, it's left people like Jauan Cabbagestalk worried about breathing it in.
"There was so much smoke, you couldn't hardly breath. The only thing you were smelling was plastic and so much chemicals and stuff in the air," explained Cabbagestalk.
Cabbagestalk said the smell left him worried about the people who live right at the fire.
"I was concerned about their health wise because if I could smell it like that from not even a mile away, I could only imagine for the people who live close by,” said Cabbagestalk.
Although they took precautions early Friday morning, Joey Duggan with Sumter Fire says that they believe that there is no threat to those that live around the area.
"(This morning) if they had any issues with breathing problems, they sheltered inside of their place in their residents. We haven't got any calls. I don't know if DHEC got any calls as far as the smoke. It lifted and rose and the wind was blowing pretty good for us so we had that in our favor," explained Duggan.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control tells News 19, “Local authorities make the decision as to whether or not surrounding residents/businesses need to evacuate or to shelter in place. The public should avoid the smoke, especially those with respiratory illnesses such as asthma. DHEC staff are on scene with the fire department to provide assistance."
Although the smoke covered the sky and caused a lot of concern, Duggan says it's similar to a house fire.
"Anything that you have, your couches, your carpet, your sheet rock, any of that stuff that's in a residence, puts off the same product of combustion. Everything is the same. It's just there's so much here you have a fifty-thousand square warehouse with that much in it, you just have a whole lot more product of combustion," said Duggan.
Officials would like to remind people that although it's okay to go outdoors, it's better to stay away from the scene so crews can continue to clear the scene and extinguish the fire.