Rain helps suppress plant fire, but explosion risk remains

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Overnight rain helped to suppress an uncontrolled fire at a North Carolina fertilizer plant, but fire officials warned Thursday that it has also pushed smoke closer to the ground, creating a health hazard.

There is still a risk of an explosion and officials still want people to stay away, Winston-Salem Battalion Chief Patrick Grubbs said during a briefing. The fire has gotten a bit smaller, but there is still an active fire, he said.

“Our message has stayed the same the whole time — we’re asking all the citizens to stay out of the area and if they’re in the area to evacuate,” Grubbs said. Anyone with respiratory issues should stay out of the smoke cloud, he said, but the smoke also isn’t good for anyone who is healthy.

The area where officials have called on people to evacuate includes about 6,500 people in 2,500 homes, officials have said. There’s no projected return time for that area, Grubbs said.



The Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant in Winston-Salemm N.C., continues to burn, Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, after the fire started Monday night. Fire officials said they could not predict when the blaze might die down. And they didn't know how many people have actually obeyed the evacuation order. (Walt Unks/The Winston-Salem Journal via AP)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/business-explosions-fires-north-carolina-winston-salem-b683afbbdca88433caa772f4bc805932

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Also see: Burning North Carolina fertilizer plant contains enough ammonium nitrate to ignite "one of the worst explosions in U.S. history," fire chief says

BY TORI B. POWELL

UPDATED ON: FEBRUARY 3, 2022 / 7:39 AM / CBS NEWS

Residents in the area near a North Carolina fertilizer plant that caught fire Monday night are urged to stay away from their homes for an "undetermined" amount of time, as a massive amount of ammonium nitrate within the burning facility is at risk of an explosion, officials said Wednesday.

"At the beginning of this incident there was enough ammonium nitrate on hand for this to be one of the worst explosions in U.S. history," Winston-Salem fire chief William "Trey" Mayo said at a press conference Wednesday.

The fire broke out at about 6:30 p.m. on Monday at the Winston Weaver Company Fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. No injuries have been reported and all employees are accounted for, officials said.



Aerial view of the fire burning at the Winston Weaver Company Fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
WINSTON SALEM FIRE DEPARTMENT

According to Mayo, there were nearly 600 tons of ammonium nitrate and 5,000 tons of finished fertilizer at the facility.

THIS FULL story is here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/winston-salem-fertilizer-plant-fire-ammonium-nitrate-explosion-potential/

[EYESORE 9001]

1. Are there no regulations

governing storage of such huge amounts of explosive materials in one location? Who made that decision to build such a massive inventory?

[DENVERPOPS]

2. Capitalist Corporations??????????

If my math is correct that's over a million pounds in one location. The media uses "600" tons because it sounds like a lot less........

Maybe my figures are wrong.........

[House of Roberts]

3. Somebody is obviously not paying enough lability insurance,

which is usually how the rich roll. The plant explodes, does far more damage than what assets are left afterward, plant gets to declare bankruptcy, and owners can't be touched.

[Withywindle]

5. The building was up to code - for the late 1930s!

Updating is not required. There was no sprinkler system! And yes, they did exist when the plant was built and should have been installed then, but they weren't required then so they still aren't now. Which is NUTS but there you go.

(Sorry for the Fox link but it's a semi-local, in Greensboro, and their coverage on this has been pretty good)

https://myfox8.com/news/north-carolina/winston-salem/weavers-aged-facility-wasnt-required-to-have-modern-fire-protections-should-that-change/

"Fire officials have said about 600 tons of ammonium nitrate had been stored at or near the facility, and what’s allowable for those amounts also is based on the original fire code for when the building weas constructed.

“As you might expect, today’s code is written much differently than the code in effect in 1953,” Johnson said. “Under the current code, a building storing 600 tons would be classified as a Group H – Hazardous occupancy and would need to comply with all applicable codes for that classification, which would include sprinklers.

“There are also limits established in the code that determines when storage must be in a detached building. As an example, a Class 3 oxidizer in excess of 1,200 tons would require that storage to be in a detached building.”

[Gilbert Moore]

4. So I wonder what 600 tones could do ?

In 2013 a fertilizer plant in West, Texas blew. 15 dead and 160 injured. It was wholly owned by... a married couple.

"...The company had stated to the EPA that the company stored 540,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate and 110,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia on the site.

A week after the explosion, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Senate investigators that the company did not appear to have disclosed its ammonium nitrate stock to her department. Federal law requires that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be notified whenever anyone has more than one ton of ammonium nitrate on hand, or 400 pounds (180 kg) if the ammonium nitrate is combined with combustible material..." (Wikipedia)

So I wonder what 600 tones could do ?

[burrowowl]

6. After WWI

chemical fertilizer became the thing to manufacture so that high explosives would be readily ramped up to make high explosives for future wars.