SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Firefighters battled a blaze at a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on January 31, 2022. (Photo: Winston-Salem Fire Department/Twitter/screenshot)
North Carolina Fertilizer Plant Fire Forces Thousands to Evacuate
The facility has on-site an estimated 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, several times the amount that was at a Texas plant when a 2013 explosion killed 15 people.
Feb 01, 2022
Thousands of residents who live within a one-mile radius of a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina were ordered to immediately evacuate after a fire broke out at the facility Monday night.
Although firefighters initially battled the blaze at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant, located at 4440 N. Cherry St., the crews were pulled back after about an hour and a half due to the explosion risk, Fire Chief Trey Mayo said during a Tuesday morning press conference.
The plant has on-site an estimated 5,000 tons of finished fertilizer and 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, Mayo explained. That is several times the amount of the ammonium nitrate that was at a West, Texas plant in 2013 when an explosion killed 15 people and injured scores of others.
Nearly 6,500 residents live in almost 2,500 households within the evacuation zone, according to the city.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson John Bull told CNN about 220 inmates from nearby Forsyth Correctional Center were moved to the minimum-security Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville.
Wake Forest University--which has one on-campus housing unit in the evacuation zone--canceled classes Tuesday and urged faculty, staff, and students who live within a mile of the plant to leave the area until at least late Wednesday, when authorities are expected to reassess the conditions.
WXII 12 reports the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection (FCEAP) is monitoring the fire and warned of air quality concerns:
Officials with FCEAP said a smoke plume from the fire will continue to drift southwest throughout the day Tuesday and is anticipated to impact local air quality across an area to the northwest of downtown Winston-Salem near Wake Forest University.
FCEAP recommends avoiding outdoor activity in and near the smoke plume, especially children, and adults with respiratory illness and/or asthma.
Asked about the potential cause of the fire early Tuesday, Mayo told reporters that "we are not anywhere near that point in the event."
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Thousands of residents who live within a one-mile radius of a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina were ordered to immediately evacuate after a fire broke out at the facility Monday night.
Although firefighters initially battled the blaze at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant, located at 4440 N. Cherry St., the crews were pulled back after about an hour and a half due to the explosion risk, Fire Chief Trey Mayo said during a Tuesday morning press conference.
The plant has on-site an estimated 5,000 tons of finished fertilizer and 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, Mayo explained. That is several times the amount of the ammonium nitrate that was at a West, Texas plant in 2013 when an explosion killed 15 people and injured scores of others.
Nearly 6,500 residents live in almost 2,500 households within the evacuation zone, according to the city.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson John Bull told CNN about 220 inmates from nearby Forsyth Correctional Center were moved to the minimum-security Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville.
Wake Forest University--which has one on-campus housing unit in the evacuation zone--canceled classes Tuesday and urged faculty, staff, and students who live within a mile of the plant to leave the area until at least late Wednesday, when authorities are expected to reassess the conditions.
WXII 12 reports the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection (FCEAP) is monitoring the fire and warned of air quality concerns:
Officials with FCEAP said a smoke plume from the fire will continue to drift southwest throughout the day Tuesday and is anticipated to impact local air quality across an area to the northwest of downtown Winston-Salem near Wake Forest University.
FCEAP recommends avoiding outdoor activity in and near the smoke plume, especially children, and adults with respiratory illness and/or asthma.
Asked about the potential cause of the fire early Tuesday, Mayo told reporters that "we are not anywhere near that point in the event."
Thousands of residents who live within a one-mile radius of a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina were ordered to immediately evacuate after a fire broke out at the facility Monday night.
Although firefighters initially battled the blaze at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant, located at 4440 N. Cherry St., the crews were pulled back after about an hour and a half due to the explosion risk, Fire Chief Trey Mayo said during a Tuesday morning press conference.
The plant has on-site an estimated 5,000 tons of finished fertilizer and 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, Mayo explained. That is several times the amount of the ammonium nitrate that was at a West, Texas plant in 2013 when an explosion killed 15 people and injured scores of others.
Nearly 6,500 residents live in almost 2,500 households within the evacuation zone, according to the city.
North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson John Bull told CNN about 220 inmates from nearby Forsyth Correctional Center were moved to the minimum-security Alexander Correctional Institution in Taylorsville.
Wake Forest University--which has one on-campus housing unit in the evacuation zone--canceled classes Tuesday and urged faculty, staff, and students who live within a mile of the plant to leave the area until at least late Wednesday, when authorities are expected to reassess the conditions.
WXII 12 reports the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance and Protection (FCEAP) is monitoring the fire and warned of air quality concerns:
Officials with FCEAP said a smoke plume from the fire will continue to drift southwest throughout the day Tuesday and is anticipated to impact local air quality across an area to the northwest of downtown Winston-Salem near Wake Forest University.
FCEAP recommends avoiding outdoor activity in and near the smoke plume, especially children, and adults with respiratory illness and/or asthma.
Asked about the potential cause of the fire early Tuesday, Mayo told reporters that "we are not anywhere near that point in the event."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy