The Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife District 5 Office is investigating the killing of nearly 6,000 fish in a stream located near the R.D Holder Company.
Last week, the Holder Company was the site of a huge oil explosion and fire that required several emergency crews from the area to respond.
The Dept. of Natural Resources says nearly 6,000 fish and amphibians were killed in a stream by Donnels Creek which is located behind the Holder Company.
Joel Buddelmeyer, the acting district law enforcement supervisor for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife District 5 office in Xenia, says investigators are still looking at what caused the fish to die, but indications so far are that the deaths were petroleum based.
Buddelmeyer says that the ongoing investigation could take up to two more weeks to complete.
The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency's Heather Lauer says it appears that ethylene glycol leaked into the area that the fish were killed after the explosion and before cleanup efforts were started.
Lauer says ethylene glycol is like antifreeze and is known to kill fish. Buddelmeyer says the Holder Company could face paying restitution if it is determined the spill caused the fishes and other species to die.