A fire in a Maysville, Ky., fertilizer plant yesterday forced nearly 2,500 people to leave their homes due to the threat of explosions and toxic smoke. The fire, which was discovered in the early hours of Sunday morning, consumed nearly 400 tons of ammonium nitrate, a white crystalline dry fertilizer.
Ammonium nitrate is also one of the primary chemicals used in the Oklahoma City bombing.
Evacuations occurred within a one-mile radius of the plant, which included several communities in Adams and Brown counties, Ohio, across the Ohio River. The American Red Cross reports as many as 437 people in shelters in the immediate area. The shelters were in Maysville, Ky., a high school in Brown County, OH, and an elementary school in Adams County, Ohio. Residents were allowed to return to their homes and businesses just after 6 p.m. last night. As of this morning, officials at the scene report the fire is under control and is being allowed to burn itself out.