ST. CHARLES, Minn. – Authorities evacuated this southeastern Minnesota town of about 3,600 Friday as a large fire at a meat processing plant threatened the anhydrous ammonia tanks inside but, despite a scare, firefighters were able to prevent the tanks from exploding.
While Police Chief Bill Eckles had said he received word from the command center around 8 p.m. that one of the tanks in the North Star Foods plant had burst, Kristine Hernandez, a spokeswoman for the emergency operations center for the incident, later said it turned out the tank didn’t blow.
What happened, Hernandez said, was that as crews were deliberately venting ammonia from the five tanks inside the plant, some ammonia in the pipes that run through the plant escaped, causing ammonia levels in the air to temporarily spike twice. She said the ammonia dissipated right away and posed no threat to emergency workers at the scene.
Hernandez also said officials hoped to let residents return home at noon Saturday.
City Administrator Nick Koverman said there were about 30,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia in the five tanks. The refrigerant can cause severe burns, particularly to the eyes, throat and lungs. The cause of the fire wasn’t immediately known, he said.
Civil defense sirens blared to warn residents to get out. Sheriff’s deputies began door-to-door evacuations of people and pets about 3:30 p.m., and evacuation centers were set up for displaced residents at a church and schools in nearby communities. Both major highways through town were closed.
Hernandez said the only reported injuries were minor. One state trooper had some minor lung irritation, while some residents sought treatment for minor eye irritation, she said.
Some 200 firefighters and emergency workers from several agencies responded to the fire, including a hazardous materials team from Rochester, and 70 firefighters were still on the scene late Friday to fight the blaze through the night. They were spraying the tanks with water to keep them cool and help the ammonia dissipate, Hernandez said, adding that they weren’t sure by late Friday how much ammonia was left in the tanks and pipes.
Smoke from the fire could be seen 10 miles away by late morning, and by late afternoon three tornado-like clouds of gray smoke were visible from five miles away. Winona County Deputy Rod Hansen said that by nightfall the flames were no longer visible outside the plant.
North Star Foods plant manager Mark Eads said the fire started late Friday morning above one of the ovens where chickens are cooked.
“Within two to three minutes, there was smoke coming out of the room pretty heavy,” Eads said.
Carolyn Nicklay, who works in human resources for the company, said she called 911 and firefighters quickly arrived.
“Everybody’s out. Everybody’s OK. That’s all that matters,” she said.
North Star Foods is the second-largest employer in St. Charles with about 150 workers. Their futures were on the minds of some residents even as the fire burned.
Locally owned North Star Foods Inc. has been in business since 1971, serving industrial, retail and foodservice customers, according to its Web site. Its products include chicken, turkey, beef, pork and other food products.
“Small towns can’t afford to lose a business. As a matter of fact, no towns can these days,” said Bob Golden, a resident who was staying at a local church that served as a shelter Friday evening.
Gustavo Balderas, who has worked at the plant for about eight years, said he was checking the quality of a chicken product Friday morning when a supervisor told everyone to get out. He said he wasn’t sure what he’ll do for work now.
“I like my job. My feelings are not really good right now,” Balderas said as he prepared to spend the night at the church. “If it were just myself or 10 people unemployed it would be OK. But there’s too many.”