![]() He was taken to a shelter opened at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. ![]() The 68-year-old double amputee who uses a wheelchair said he was aware of the fire before going to bed, but didn’t know the urgency of the situation. ![]() Norvell McDowell, who lives less than half a mile away, was awakened early Tuesday to sirens and first-responders telling him to seek shelter elsewhere. “They said that, more than likely if it blows, the evacuated area will be leveled completely. “It takes a lot to spook me, and I will say I’m pretty shaken right now,” he said. Van Erp, who doesn’t have a car, said he had called a non-emergency police number to ask for a ride to a shelter and was waiting to be picked up. Richard Van Erp, who lives blocks from the fertilizer plant, said late Tuesday morning that so much smoke was billowing into his apartment complex’s parking lot that he couldn’t see the cars at times. It thanked firefighters and first responders. Matthew Smith, a hazardous material expert with a regional state task force, said the gases released by the blaze are more of an irritant than something that could cause serious harm, barring an underlying lung condition.Ī representative of the Winston Weaver plant issued a statement Tuesday that no workers were injured or killed in the explosion. This work is part of the 450 million care tower project that will be built where Parking Deck B currently stands. 7, with major demolition of the parking deck scheduled to begin in early March. Mayo said the chemical generally needs to be in a confined space to explode, so the risk will depend on whether the material is stacked deep enough for the top layers to put enough pressure on the bottom layers.Īuthorities warned of smoke and poor air quality in the city of about 250,000. Parking Deck B at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center will close permanently on Monday, Feb. “So if that doesn’t convey the gravity of the situation and how serious folks need to take it, I don’t know how else to verbalize that,” he said. He said that is more of the chemical than was present at a deadly blast at a 2013 Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people. Mayo told reporters an estimated 500 tons of ammonium nitrate were housed at the plant and another 100 tons of the fertilizer ingredient were in an adjacent rail car. Mayo added that a helicopter will be flying over the Winston Weaver facility to further assess the situation later Tuesday.ĭue to the fire releasing ammonium nitrate and other aerosols from the fertilizer, WXII meteorologist Brian Slocum warned Winston-Salem residents the air could be unhealthy for some people.Drones and a helicopter monitored the fire from above, and teams of firefighters were on standby, letting the fire burn for now, the chief said. The AP reported the city's fire department said it could not provide enough water to be "reasonably certain" there would be no explosion. on January 31 and attempted to put it out for about an hour and a half, but did not make "satisfactory progress," and decided to pull the firefighters back due to all the ammonium nitrate at the site.Īccording to the National Fire Protection Association, ammonium nitrate, though not technically classified as an explosive or flammable material, becomes dangerous when exposed to fire, as it can trigger an explosion. Wake Forest University, though mostly outside of the evacuation zone, decided to cancel classes Tuesday, as one of the university's buildings and many students living off-campus were in the zone, t he Associated Press reported.Ĭurrently, students with nowhere else to go can bring sleeping bags, pillows and blankets to a building on campus, though university officials are working on a more long-term solution, according to WXII-TV.Īt the Tuesday press conference, Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo said firefighters responded to the blaze just before 7 p.m. #MapForsyth #CityofWSFire /h1DcwA1YDk- City of Winston-Salem, NC FebruThe evacuation area around 4440 North Cherry Street has almost 6500 residents or 2,497 households. The evacuation area around 4440 North Cherry Street has almost 6500 residents or 2,497 households.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |