Oregon Seafood Plant Fire Prompts Evacuations Over Ammonia Fears
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A fire at the Pacific Seafood processing plant in Newport, Oregon, on Sunday morning led city officials to order evacuations over fears that the smoke contained ammonia. By Sunday afternoon, officials said the ammonia threat had passed, NBC News reported. No injuries were reported.
The fire was still burning in the afternoon, and a smaller evacuation zone of several blocks remained near the plant.
What happened in Newport
City spokesperson John Fuller said crews responded to the blaze at the plant in the Bayfront neighborhood just before 9 a.m. The fire started in a freezer facility where seafood is stored and did not spread into the main plant, he said. The cause is not yet clear, Fuller told The Associated Press.
The city ordered evacuations within a 1-mile radius of the plant, which Fuller described as a “pretty good chunk” of the small town. The zone covers businesses as well as homes. NBC News reported the area was under “level 3” evacuations, meaning extreme danger. Officials urged residents and visitors to stay indoors and wear a mask outside.
A shelter was first opened at Sam Case Elementary School and then moved farther north, away from the plant, to Atonement Lutheran Church as a precaution.
What officials said about ammonia
Ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp odor. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, high levels of exposure can irritate the skin, eyes and throat, and very high levels can cause lung damage or death.
By 4 p.m. local time, officials said there was no threat of ammonia contamination. The Oregon State Fire Marshal said an ammonia tank had been found and did not appear to be punctured or leaking. Newport Fire Chief Rob Murphy said trace amounts of ammonia were detected at first but that there was no ongoing risk of exposure. He said the tanks are intact and not leaking, and he credited firefighters and a regional hazmat team with protecting them.
The main environmental concern now is smoke from the fire, Murphy said.
Why it matters for Newport
Newport has about 10,000 residents and sits roughly 132 miles southwest of Portland. Its bayfront is a popular tourist destination with restaurants, shops and tours, and Pacific Seafood's plant sits along Yaquina Bay.
Fuller said 30 to 40 people were in or near the facility when the fire broke out. In peak tourist season in the summer, as many as 200 people can be in the area, he said.
The company is a major part of the local economy. Mayor Jan Kaplan called it a critical part of the city's economy and a significant employer. Shelly Heim, a resident who watched flames shoot from the plant's roof, said Newport has a strong working port and fishing community and that the company is a big place of employment. She hoped it could rebuild.
Ashton Meier, a vice president at Pacific Seafood, said in a statement that the company was devastated and expects the fire to be a major loss. He said all team members on site were safe and accounted for. The company, he said, will work with public safety officials to determine the cause of the fire and any hazards.
Heim said she and her husband smelled nothing unusual and did not evacuate, but they were watching the wind in case it carried smoke toward them.
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