Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInFORT WAYNE (WPTA) - Fort Wayne firefighters have put out a scrap fire that broke out at Omnisource’s Maumee Avenue location on Wednesday evening Crews began responding to the scrap yard fire at about 6:20 p.m Smoke plumes from the fire were spotted from miles away along with a strong stench from the burning scraps Residents were advised to avoid the area and keep windows closed throughout Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning as crews continued to put out the fire FWFD Assistant Chief Jermaine Thomas said the fire was extinguished early Thursday morning Thomas said help from Omnisource crews was critical as they used their cranes to move roughly 800 tons of steel to help the fire department’s efforts The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time 21Alive News has asked Thomas if there were any concerns about air quality and he said OmniSource reported that materials were tested for hazardous chemicals before they were stored in the scrap yard “We understand there is always a concern from the public when it comes to smoke in the air regardless of the origin,” Thomas said the Fort Wayne Fire Department’s recommendation is always that if anyone is in an area and could be exposed to smoke from a fire Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInMAUMEE Ohio (WTVG) - The city of Maumee has filed a complaint with the Ohio Supreme Court to block the recall effort of six Maumee City Council members and the mayor In March, the Lucas County Board of Elections voted 4-0 to allow the recall effort to go before voters on the Sept A citizen-led initiative gathered nearly 1,400 signatures in an attempt to remove Mayor James MacDonald and six council members from their positions The group calling for the recall said they have problems with a lack of transparency and distrust along with how city sewer issues were handled According to the complaint filed to the Ohio Supreme Court the Lucas County Board of Elections violated the plain language of the Maumee Charter the Maumee Charter does not provide a recall option The filing also said that the Lucas County Board of Elections ignored a portion of the Ohio Revised Code the Ohio Revised Code requires recall petitions to demand the election of a successor Maumee asked the court to prohibit the Lucas County Board of Elections from placing the recall question on the Sept The city released a statement after filing the challenge with the Ohio Supreme Court: “In response to the recent decision by the Board of Elections and in light of ongoing efforts to destabilize our local government through a landlord-led recall campaign the City of Maumee has taken the next step in defending the integrity of our democratic institutions by filing a legal challenge with the Ohio Supreme Court This action reflects the city’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that the rule of law is respected and that the voice of Maumee residents is not undermined by politically motivated efforts lacking accountability The city’s legal challenge seeks to clarify the constitutionality and procedural validity of the recall initiative threatens to erode the very foundation of representative governance.” Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story indicated the petition had 14,000 signatures It has since been updated to reflect the correct number of 1,400 signatures Latest Local News | First Alert Weather | Crime | National | 13abc Originals