Firefighters returned to the scene of the fertilizer plant fire in Winston-Salem Thursday to assess conditions after concerns about ammonium nitrate forced them to evacuate the area Monday night.
Officials said rain on Thursday helped to extinguish the fire and keep the smoke tamped down.
Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo told WFXR TV that an expert in handling ammonium nitrate is helping with operations.
“We were able to place two unstaffed ground monitors. They each flow about 500 gallons a minute on those piles, and they flowed overnight…and were successful in cooling the piles,” Mayo said.
Officials will continue to monitor air and water quality to ensure safe levels for the public.
