The City of Winston-Salem is asking people within one mile of a raging blaze at a fertilizer plant to evacuate due to the possibility of a large explosion.
WGHP-TV reports that the fire started Monday night at the Weaver Fertilizer Plant. City officials have confirmed small explosions at the plant.
CBS Greensboro, North Carolina affiliate WFMY-TV said fire crews were trying to get 6,000 people to leave.
The station quotes Winston-Salem Fire Battalion Chief Patrick Grubb as saying the plant stores about 300-600 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly flammable chemical used to make fertilizer.
Grubbs said his crews were flying drones to assess the fire every 15-20 minutes.
Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo says fire crews “abandoned” the fire-fighting operation because of the large volume of the chemical on-site.
The building has collapsed as well, and access to the product in the building is restricted, WGHP reported.
Firefighters couldn’t flow enough volume of water to be reasonably certain that they could keep it cool enough to prevent a detonation. The cause of the fire is unknown.
“Don’t wait for something to happen. Something has happened,” Mayo said on Twitter. “Now is the time to get out.”
At around 2 a.m. first responders were driving through the area “pleading” with residents to evacuate to safely as the threat of an explosion still loomed, Winston-Salem police tweeted.
Police said the 4400 block of Cherry Street from North Point Boulevard to Indiana Avenue was closed while emergency crews responded to the fire around 8:20 p.m.
Wake Forest University released a statement asking some students in off-campus housing to voluntarily evacuate. The university also said it was working on long-term plans for those who don’t have an alternative place to go.
People who have evacuated should plan to be away from their homes for up to 48 hours. authorities said.
No injuries have been reported.
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