Thousands of people in North Carolina were told to evacuate their homes on Tuesday morning after a fire broke out at a nearby fertilizer plant, raising fears of a possible explosion.
Officials from the Winston-Salem Fire Department went door-to-door asking roughly 6,000 residents, who lived within a one-mile radius of the Winston-Weaver Co. fertilizer plant, to evacuate their homes ahead of a possible explosion, according to NBC News.
“We’re asking everyone to stay out of this area,” said Patrick Grubbs, the battalion chief with the Winston-Salem Fire Department, during a news conference.
AS SOME EVACUATION GROUPS FOLD, OPERATION 620 GROWS TO SERVE STRANDED AFGHANS
INCIDENT UPDATE – Riding through area within 1 mile radius of 4440 Cherry St. alerting residents of fire and evacuation. If you know someone in the area please advise them of hazard. #WSFire .107 pic.twitter.com/Cv6swGS38Z
— Winston-Salem FD (@cityofwsfire) February 1, 2022
The fire broke out at the fertilizer plant on Monday evening and as of 4:30 a.m. was still going strong, fire officials said. Firefighters battled with flames before the situation progressed into a potential explosion of ammonium nitrate, a chemical compound used in fertilizer and sometimes used in mining and construction in order to create explosions.
Grubbs said that the flames then “began affecting a rail car,” which progressed into an explosive hazard. This caused some 90 firefighters to retreat.
“As the sun rises, there’s going to be a lot of smoke,” said Grubbs regarding the air quality.
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WFU classes canceled for Tuesday, Feb. 1. Overnight housing available on campus for those evacuating. See email, https://t.co/UASxJdyfQ9 for details.
— Wake Alert (@WakeAlert) February 1, 2022
Wake Forest University located nearby issued a statement on Tuesday that it would be canceling classes and offering overnight housing to faculty, staff, and students who had been forced to evacuate.
While it is still unknown what caused the fire, so far, no injuries have been reported from this incident, according to officials.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the Winston-Weaver Co. for a statement but did not receive a response back.
