Ypsilanti residents woke up on Tuesday morning to a strong odor in the air. Initial accounts of the odor on social media claimed a burning rubber smell, while others claimed they smelled gunpowder.
The Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office released a statement this morning explaining that the odor is a result of a large fire at a metal scrapyard in northwest Ohio.
“Washtenaw County residents may experience the smell of smoke or various plastic type odorants throughout the day today.”
Residents of Milan, Novi and Wayne county have also reported smelling the odor. The smell is expected to persist in southeastern Michigan throughout the day.
The Sheriff’s office did, however, state that there are no major concerns regarding air quality in the area and that no action needs to be taken. Eastern Michigan University sent email notifications to students at around 11:30 a.m. with information from the Sheriff’s Office’s statement.
The Toledo Blade reported that the fire started last night in Fulton County, Ohio, and emergency officials from northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan are still battling the fire.
The scene remains active and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
