As fertilizer fire burns, evacuation shelter provides some relief

As the fertilizer plant fire continues to burn in Winston-Salem, residents within a one-mile radius of the blaze — roughly 6,500 people — are being asked by officials to leave their homes over concerns of possible explosions. To accommodate them, a temporary evacuation shelter has been set up at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds. The Education Building opened for evacuees late Monday night. Meals are provided for people from the affected neighborhood adjacent to the fire along with chairs, tables, and restroom facilities.

Michelle Shepherd and her partner live roughly one-tenth of a mile from the plant and were among the first to arrive at the shelter. They experienced what officials said were mini explosions overnight.

“We heard the explosion,” says Shepherd. “It shook our house. We weren't sure what it was. I opened up our front door and the entire sky was nothing but orange. I could see the flames shooting over the trees. All of a sudden, there were three more explosions. And we could feel the house rock again and I said, ‘You know what? I'm not even going to take a chance. We need to go.'” 

At its peak, there were nearly 30 visitors at the Education Building, and by 11:30 Tuesday morning 14 remained. Those numbers are expected to fluctuate throughout the day with people coming and going as needed and attending to work responsibilities. 

The relief operation is being organized by the local Red Cross with six volunteers on site. Executive Director John Hughes says the situation is well under control.

“Well, it is certainly a very unusual situation, but these are the kinds of things that we plan for and prepare for all the time at Red Cross,” says Hughes. “I think people take it in stride. The folks who are here, of course, they would rather be at home or somewhere else. But we're doing everything we can to make it as comfortable as possible for them.”

Hughes suggests that those most affected by the smoke who want to get out of the poor air quality should plan to visit the evacuation shelter. He adds that he and his colleagues will remain there until they're told to stand down by emergency officials. Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo says they're not out of the woods yet. As of Tuesday afternoon, the window for a major explosion to occur remained open for another 24 hours.