US says chemicals mix caused N Carolina fire

30 October 2006 18:01  [Source: ICIS news]

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--The three-day hazardous waste fire that forced thousands of North Carolina residents to flee the town of Apex earlier this month apparently was caused by the mixture of incompatible chemicals, US safety officials said on Monday.

 

The federal Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board said that because the fire destroyed evidence, it was unlikely that the exact cause of the 5-7 October conflagration will be discovered.

 

However, the board said that “witness observations are consistent with an incompatible chemical mixture that resulted in an uncontrolled chemical reaction … and sufficient heat to cause ignition.”

 

Preliminary investigation indicates that operating procedures at the EQ North Carolina hazardous waste processing and transfer facility “involved consolidating similar wastes for shipment off site,” the board said.

 

“Credible evidence indicates that the incident likely began in the oxidizer section of the facility where chemicals such as pool chlorination tablets were stored,” the board said. 

 

Although the burning area was only about 30 square feet when fire fighters arrived, the board said, flames broke though to an adjacent storage bay containing highly flammable solvents and the fire quickly grew out of control.

 

The board said its complete investigation report on the incident may take a year and likely will recommend better fire detection and separation measures such as firewalls to improve safety at hazardous waste facilities.

 

There were no injuries in the accident. Apex is about 15 miles southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina.

By: Joe Kamalick
+1 713 525 2653

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