Thousands flee homes near N. Carolina fertilizer plant fire

By TOM FOREMAN Jr. and BEN FINLEY
Associated Press

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant has forced thousands of people to evacuate in North Carolina. Firefighters warn that chemicals at the site near Wake Forest University could cause a large explosion. Authorities urged people within a mile of the Winston Weaver Company to take shelter elsewhere. No injuries have been reported since the fire started Monday night, but officials say a huge explosion could still happen through Wednesday. Firefighters had to pull back as 600 tons of ammonium nitrate burns. Winston-Salem’s fire chief says that’s more than what exploded in a Texas fertilizer plant blast that killed 15 people in 2013.