|
Pesticide-fueled factory blaze spreads toxic fumes in Arkansas
May 9, 1997
Web posted at: 12:24 a.m. EDT (0424 GMT)
3 firefighters die in cloud of poisonous gas
In this story:WEST HELENA, Arkansas (CNN) -- Three firefighters died fighting a raging fire as a plume of black, "very toxic" smoke covered this small Mississippi River town, forcing hundreds of people to leave their homes and businesses.
State police say 16 people were injured in the explosion that preceded the fire at the BPS Inc. chemical packaging plant.
Francis Huddleston of the Arkansas Office of Emergency Services said the blast released an "unknown quantity of toxic gas." Another source at the OES described the fumes as "very toxic."
 | (1.1M/30 sec. Small frame QuickTime movie) |
| (2.3M/30 sec. Large frame QuickTime movie) |
The firefighters who were killed were outside the warehouse when the smoldering chemical triggered the blast, a fire official said.
"They suspect the cinder block wall and parts of the roof fell on them," said Tim Snyder, the assistant fire chief in neighboring Helena.
Gov. Mike Huckabee praised their heroism.
"These are the folks who got right in the middle and go where angels fear to tread," he said after going to the plant. Huckabee declared a state of emergency, allowing the community to use state personnel to deal with the crisis.
Doctors from the state Department of Health gave firefighters and residents injections of atropine, an antidote to ward off the effects of the poisons.
The cause of the fire is believed to have been a smoldering bag of pesticide which caught fire and ignited the explosion shortly after 1 p.m.
"We saw white smoke and heard an explosion ... and then we saw a lot of fire," said Vickie Bolden, who works at Helena Chemical, a short distance from BPS.
"The flames were so high -- 150 feet -- then the smoke turned black, and it was dark from then," she said. "The fumes would burn your nose, it smelled bad, like ammonia, where it would take your breath."
A source from the state Department of Pollution Control and Ecology said the chemicals involved were azinphosmethyl, methyomyl and thiophante. All are considered poisonous.
Azinphosmethyl is an insecticide that is more toxic to insects than it is to humans and thiophante is a fungicide used to control parasitic worms in animals, according to Donald R. Bobbitt, a professor of chemistry at University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He had no information on methyomyl.
The city's regional hospital, Helena Regional Medical Center, was evacuated because of the fumes. Some of the hospital's 44 patients and 150 employees were taken to a local community college. Other patients were taken to a hospital in Clarksdale, Mississippi, 30 minutes away.
"It was like a thunderbolt that landed outside the building," said hospital spokeswoman Jan Chambers. "It smells pitiful. It's a strong odor. Very strong."
Casinos put their faith in Lady Luck
The smoke could be seen billowing above the plant after the explosion from three miles, and was carried by the wind across the river toward Mississippi.
Areas up to a mile away were evacuated, including the southern part of Helena. A spokesperson for the Chamber of Commerce said a residential subdivision near the plant was also evacuated.
Others in Helena and West Helena, with populations totaling about 18,000, were told to stay inside and shut their windows and doors.
"We haven't left our building," said Nota Johnson of the Helena Chamber of Commerce.
The Lady Luck and Country casinos across the river in Lula, Mississippi, considered closing, but gambled on staying open and won. Winds carried the worst of the fumes south of the casino complex.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
|
Sound off on our message boardsTell us what you think!You said it... |
|
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.