Fifteen firefighters were injured fighting a large blaze at a fertilizer warehouse in South Hill, Virginia on Saturday.
The firefighters were hospitalized due to chemical exposure, heat exhaustion and minors scrapes and burns. All were treated and released Sunday.
The fire at the Nutrien Ag Solutions facility was contained with the aid of multiple first responder units, according to reports on Facebook by the town’s volunteer fire department.
“At the peak of the incident 156 personnel were on scene along with 74 units. Multiple jurisdictions and states worked hand in hand to protect multiple exposures,” the fire department reported.
The South Hill Police Department reported that the fire was the result of a fatal car crash. Shortly before 2 p.m. on Saturday, officers were dispatched to a vehicle fire that was the result of a single-vehicle crash. The vehicle had struck a light pole, the Nutrien building and two propane tanks on the property. The driver of the vehicle died at an area hospital later that afternoon.
Police said that the “preliminary investigation indicates that speed was a factor” in this crash. The crash remains under investigation.
A large amount of runoff from the fire entered nearby creeks. The Virginia Department of Emergency Management is monitoring the situation.
Officials said cleanup will take weeks for the agencies and an extended period of time for the property.
Nutrien Ag Solutions is the retail division of Nutrien Ltd., a global crop inputs company offering seed, crop protection and nutrition products and financial services to farmers. Its proprietary brands include Loveland Products, Proven Seed and Dyna-Gro Seed.
Topics Virginia
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