By Elizabeth Elkin

A fire at a fertilizer plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina is prompting officials to urge nearby residents to evacuate due to the risk of an explosion.

Winston Weaver Co.’s Winston-Salem fertilizer plant, which manufactures highly flammable ammonium nitrate, caught fire Monday night. The facility stores about 300 to 600 tons of the common chemical fertilizer, fire chief Trey Mayo said in a video statement. About 6,000 people living within a mile of the plant have been told to evacuate.

Ammonium nitrate has been behind deadly explosions in recent years, including an August 2020 blast that devastated Beirut’s port after nearly 3,000 tons of the stored chemical ignited, killing at least 135 people and wounding thousands. A Texas plant that had about 200 tons of the chemical exploded in April 2013, killing 15 people and damaging more than 150 structures across a 35-block area.

“I just want to convey the gravity of this situation,” Mayo said, adding that the Winston Weaver plant could have almost three times the ammonium nitrate that was behind the Texas incident.

The city is working to keep the temperature down to prevent an explosion. The entire plant has been consumed by fire and collapsed inwards, Mayo said. The situation is expected to go well beyond 36 hours so officials can make sure the chemicals cool down, according to the city’s fire department.

Winston Weaver didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

© 2022 Bloomberg L.P.