By James Windell
At about 4:00 pm on Friday, September 25, 2026, much of South Haven was rocked by a series of explosions.
Within minutes, billowing black smoke rose above the city drifting toward Lake Michigan.
The South Haven Area Emergency Services (SHAES) responded immediately to the alarm, but it quickly turned into a 5-alarm fire and a dozen other fire departments were called in to contain the industrial fire at the East Jordan Plastics, 1600 Stieve Drive, South Haven.
Fearful of toxic chemicals being released in the air in the vicinity of the fire, SHAES and South Haven police officers began going door-to-door warning people of the potential hazard. It was reported as the wind shifted and started blowing the smoke and the foul smell toward more populated areas in South Haven, that many residents elected to evacuate. Some residents who headed east on M -43 and southeast on 140 reported bumper-to-bumper cars leaving the city by 6:00 pm.
The South Haven Police Department issued a press release later in the evening on September 25. That release stated that SHAES was battling the fire and that the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hade both been notified of the industrial fire.
Noting that the fire was near a City of South Haven electric utility substation and an AEP transmission feed, the release said that electrical power to City was shut down. “These facilities have been de-energized as a necessary safety precaution to protect emergency responders working to contain the fire and to protect critical infrastructure from potential damage,” the release said. It went on to report that there had, at that time, been little damage to primary circuits or the substation.
With the cooperation of the other responding fire departments, SHAES had the fire under control by 10:30 pm, and the power was restored throughout the community. However, firefighters stayed on the scene until 6:00 am on Saturday morning.
At that time, no injuries were reported, all employees of East Jordan Plastics had been accounted for and taken to South Haven High School, but EGLE and the EPA stayed on the scene checking air quality and beginning to look for the cause of the initial explosions and the resulting fire. Officials said on Saturday that the fire appeared to have started outside the plant near a propane filling station. The greatest initial hazards were exploding propane tanks and the fill-tank.
The second press release was issued by the South Haven Police Department on Saturday, September 26. It stated that it took firefighters approximately four hours to determine the fire was fully contained. The release indicated SHAES Fire Chief Brandon Hinz reported that during the incident, “the right decisions to protect human life and prevent additional damage were taken.” These actions, the release said, included de-powering a nearby electrical plant connected to power lines impacted by the fire, and detouring traffic away from the scene.
“The City is grateful that no one was hurt, and power was restored as quickly as possible, at approximately 10:30 p.m. The safe removal of material and debris has already begun,” the release read.
The release contained a comment from Hinz: “I simply can’t say enough about every person, department, community member and business that supported us as we responded to this fire,” said Hinz. “There were 17 fire departments in all, and we also received an outpouring of assistance from the American Red Cross, the Van Buren County Emergency Operations Center, and so many others. I’m extremely proud of how we came together to protect and care for each other, responders on the scene, and our neighbors.”
South Haven Chief of Police Adam DeBoer assured the community in the release that the fire was an isolated incident and there is no danger to the public. DeBoer also stated in the release that the area of Blue Star Highway and Stieve Drive is reopened for travel. “In the weeks ahead, the City will work alongside the company and several authoritative agencies to determine the cause of the fire; the proper site remediation steps; and the environmental impact, if any,” the release stated.
In addition to the shut off electrical power on Friday night, the South Haven High School’s Homecoming football game was postponed until Saturday. The Homecoming game against Constantine was moved to Watervliet High School and was played on Saturday.
