Washington-Sana
A major fire has broken out at a North Carolina fertilizer plant, forcing firefighters to evacuate thousands of residents at least a mile away due to fears of explosions.
The Associated Press reported that the fire broke out at a fertilizer plant belonging to the Weston Weaver Company on the north side of the city of Winston, sending flames and thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The fire devoured the entire building, causing it to collapse, and 90 firefighters participated in putting out the fires, but the danger of an explosion forced them to retreat.
In turn, the Winston Fire Department indicated that the evacuated area was inhabited by about 6,500 people in 2,500 homes.
There are about 500 tons of combustible ammonium nitrate at the plant and another 100 tons of fertilizer ingredients in a nearby railcar, and according to fire officials, those chemicals are more than were found in the 2013 Texas fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people.
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