Fire At Fertilizer Plant Prompts Winston-Salem Officials To Order Evacuations

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — 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 on North Cherry Street. City officials have confirmed small explosions at the plant.

Firefighters say there is the potential for a large explosion of ammonium nitrate. Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo says fire crews “abandoned” the fire-fighting operation because of the large volume of ammonium nitrate on site.

The building has collapsed as well, and access to the product that is in the building is restricted, WGHP reported.

Firefighters could not 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 asking residents to evacuate to safety as the threat of an explosion still loomed.

According to a Winston-Salem Police Department news release, 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. and remains closed.

Wake Forest University released a statement asking some students in off-campus housing to voluntarily evacuate. The university also said it is working on long-term plans for those who do not have an alternative place to go.

“The evacuation area around 4440 North Cherry Street has almost 6500 residents or 2,497 households,” the City of Winston-Salem reported on it’s Twitter page.

People who have evacuated should plan to be away from their homes for up to 48 hours.

No injuries have been reported.