Crews battle huge fire at fertilizer warehouse
HURT IN THE FIRE DAMAGE.
AGAIN, IT WAS CONFINED TO THAT
ATTIC AREA.
AND MECKLENBURG COUNTY,
VIRGINIA, THE SOUTH HILL FIRE,
RATHER, POLICE DEPARTMENT SAYS
THAT A FIRE AT A FERTILIZER
WAREHOUSE IS FINALLY OUT.
THIS IS DRONE VIDEO THAT YOU'RE
SEEING HERE SHOWING THE
SEVERITY OF THE FLAMES IN THAT
THICK CLOUD OF BLACK SMOKE.
MORE VIDEO FROM TODAY SHOWS THE
FLAMES SPEWING FROM THE
BUILDING AS TEAMS TRY TO PUT IT
OUT. THIS HAPPENED IN WAS
DANVILLE STREET NEAR SEVERAL
HOMES AND BUSINESSES TO IT.
WRAL'S CARLY HAYNES IS LIVE IN
SOUTH HILL AND CARLY, WHAT HAVE
YOU LEARNED FROM FIREFIGHTERS
RECENTLY?
CHRIS, WE JUST GOT A WHOLE LOT
OF INFORMATION AND WE WERE JUST
SPEAKING TO THE FIRE CHIEF A
FEW MINUTES AGO.
>> WE LEARNED THAT A PERSON
DROVE INTO THE FACILITY.
THAT WAS THE CAUSE OF THIS
FIRE. THEY SUSTAINED BURN
INJURIES AND WERE TAKEN TO THE
HOSPITAL. 2 FIREFIGHTERS WERE
HURT IN ALL OF THIS. SEVERAL
OTHERS FACED HEAT EMERGENCIES.
BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT
NOBODY WAS INSIDE THE WAREHOUSE
AT THE TIME. THIS BROKE OUT.
>> THICK SMOKE FUNNELED UP FROM
BEHIND HOMES AS A FIRE TORE
THROUGH THIS FERTILIZER
WAREHOUSE IN SOUTH HILL IS A
LITTLE SCARY AND ESPECIALLY
BEING, YOU KNOW, SO CLOSE TO
HOME. THE SOUTH HILL FIRE CHIEF
TELLS US THE FIRE WAS CAUSED
BY A CAR CRASHING INTO THE
NUTRIEN AG SOLUTIONS FACILITY
LIKE CAR FIRE. BUT THEN IT
STARTED TO GET OUT OF THE
BUILDING. NEIGHBORS HEARD AN
EXPLOSION THEN ABOUT 20 MINUTES
LATER, WE HEARD LIKE 2 OR 3
MORE BOOMS CREWS EVACUATED
EVERYONE WITHIN A HALF-MILE OF
THE WAREHOUSE AS THEY BATTLED
THE FLAMES. THEY BATTLED THE
HEAT. SOME SUFFERING HEAT
ILLNESSES BESIDE A STAGING AREA
FILLED WITH STACKS OF WATER.
GRAY HAZE AND THE SMELL OF
BURNING CHEMICALS. A REMINDER
OF THE ROARING FLAMES EARLIER
IN THE DAY REALLY CHEMICALLY,
YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SMELL AND
TO YOU.
>> WE HAD TO GET PAID BACK
INSIDE BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE HECK YOU'RE SMOKING.
>> AND THE DANVILLE HAZMAT TEAM
IS ON SITE MONITORING AIR