A fire broke out at a fertilizer plant in the Winston-Salem state of North Carolina in the US on Monday night. After which 6 thousand people were evacuated from 1 kilometer radius of the plant. At the time of the accident, more than 600 tonnes of ammonium nitrate was present in the plant, but fortunately no one was killed or injured. The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained.
Trey Mayo, Fire Brigade Head of Winston Salem, said – The matter is so serious that I cannot describe it in words. The plant had over 600 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the time of the fire. Earlier in 2013, 240 tons of ammonium nitrate nitrate exploded at a Texas plant. Due to which 200 houses in the area were destroyed and 15 people died.
Fire brigade teams are continuously trying to douse the fire. Local officers are also helping them in this work.
The fire at the loading dock,
Dennis D. Adams, a member of the Winston-Salem City Council, said the cause of the fire was not yet known. Local officers are also working closely with the fire brigade department. The fire started from a loading dock. People passing by the plant called and informed about it.
Schools and universities in the area have been closed. Students have been ordered to leave the hostel.
At the time of the closure of the local school and university
, there was so much explosive in the plant that if the explosion had happened, the ground would have been leveled in an area of one kilometer. North Hills Elementary School has been closed due to possible danger. At the same time, the class of Wake Forest University has also been cancelled. Along with this, students and staff have been ordered to leave the hostel.
