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Thousands evacuated after US fertilizer plant fire sparked fears of explosion – Ribuan orang dievakuasi akibat kebakaran pabrik pupuk AS yang memicu kekhawatiran akan terjadinya ledakan

Thousands evacuated after US fertilizer plant fire sparked fears of explosion

About 6,500 under evacuation orders while firefighters still can’t get within 300ft of blaze at North Carolina plant

A bystander watches as Winston-Salem firefighters battle a fire at Weaver Fertilizer Co.
A bystander watches as Winston-Salem firefighters battle a fire at Weaver Fertilizer Co. Photograph: Allison Lee Isley/AP

About 6,500 people were under evacuation orders for three days after a fire broke out at a North Carolina fertilizer plant, which officials said risked becoming one of the biggest explosions ever to occur in the US.

The fire continues to burn. The plant contains roughly 600 tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly volatile chemical compound that is used to make both fertilizers and explosives.

The Winston-Salem fire erupted in the northern part of the city of 250,000 on Monday, though the cause remains unknown. Roughly 2,500 homes, several schools and churches, a correctional facility and other commercial and government buildings were within a one-mile evacuation radius of the facility, though late Thursday was reduced to 1/8 mile, a radius inside which there are no homes, local news reported. Wake Forest University, which sits just outside the evacuation zone, cancelled classes, urging students in dorms to stay indoors and close their windows.

Due to its unpredictable nature, firefighters still can’t get within 300ft of the blaze, according to official statements.

“At the beginning of this incident, there was enough ammonium nitrate on hand for this to be one of the worst explosions in US history,” the city fire chief, William “Trey” Mayo, said at a Wednesday press conference. Firefighters later ascertained that the risk had “greatly diminished”.

The fertilizer plant did not have sprinklers nor an alarm, according to officials. Though inspected yearly, it adhered to building codes from 1939 – the year it was built.

Rain that began Wednesday night and is expected to continue through Friday has helped douse the flames – but can create other problems.

“The negative is when the rain comes in, it pushes the smoke down lower to the ground, creating more of a health hazard,” the Winston-Salem battalion chief, Patrick Grubbs, told reporters.

Locals say the fumes have polluted the air they breathe. On the night of the fire, Debora Freeman and her husband were driving half a mile from the site when they saw police barricades. “We hit a wall of smoke, and we could see the flames glow in the night,” Freeman, who lives several miles from the facility, said. “It gets in your throat and looks like a very thick fog.”

The building adhered to 1939 fire codes.
The building adhered to 1939 fire codes. Photograph: Walt Unks/AP

To prevent chemical disasters, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to regulate industrial facilities containing hazardous materials like hydrogen fluoride and chlorine under the Clean Air Act Risk Management Plan. Ammonium nitrate is not subject to these federal regulations. EPA data shows that risks from chemical disasters “fall on minority and low-income populations to a significantly greater degree than those risks affect other populations”.

“Communities in North Carolina and across the country should not have to live under evacuation and shelter in place orders,” said Emma Cheuse, senior attorney at the environmental law organization Earthjustice. “We know that breathing smoke and pollution from hazardous chemicals is extremely dangerous. Right now people are experiencing severe harm that they should never have to face.”

On Wednesday, her organization released a joint statement with other local and national advocacy groups calling for the EPA to strengthen federal regulation of chemical storage and use, and industrial facility safety. “This is clearly a problem that EPA needs to use its full authority to finally solve and prevent this kind of chemical disaster once and for all,” Cheuse said.

Fertilizer explosions are among the deadliest industrial accidents in the US. In 1947, nearly 600 residents died from an ammonium nitrate blast in Texas City, Texas. In 2013, 15 people were killed by the ammonium nitrate explosion at another facility in West, Texas.

This story was updated with additional news on Friday 4 February.

Terjemahan bebas:

Ribuan orang dievakuasi akibat kebakaran pabrik pupuk AS yang memicu kekhawatiran akan terjadinya ledakan

Sekitar 6.500 di bawah perintah evakuasi sementara petugas pemadam kebakaran masih belum bisa mencapai 300 kaki dari api di pabrik North Carolina.

Api terus menyala. Pabrik tersebut mengandung sekitar 600 ton amonium nitrat, senyawa kimia yang sangat mudah menguap yang digunakan untuk membuat pupuk dan bahan peledak.

Kebakaran Winston-Salem meletus di bagian utara kota berpenduduk 250.000 jiwa pada hari Senin, meskipun penyebabnya masih belum diketahui. Kira-kira 2.500 rumah, beberapa sekolah dan gereja, fasilitas pemasyarakatan dan bangunan komersial dan pemerintah lainnya berada dalam radius evakuasi satu mil dari fasilitas tersebut, meskipun Kamis malam dikurangi menjadi 1/8 mil, radius di dalamnya tidak ada rumah, berita lokal melaporkan. Universitas Wake Forest, yang terletak tepat di luar zona evakuasi, membatalkan kelas, mendesak siswa di asrama untuk tinggal di dalam rumah dan menutup jendela mereka.

Karena sifatnya yang tidak dapat diprediksi, petugas pemadam kebakaran masih belum bisa mencapai jarak 300 kaki dari kobaran api, menurut pernyataan resmi.

“Pada awal insiden ini, ada cukup amonium nitrat di tangan untuk ini menjadi salah satu ledakan terburuk dalam sejarah AS,” kepala pemadam kebakaran kota, William “Trey” Mayo, mengatakan pada konferensi pers Rabu. Petugas pemadam kebakaran kemudian memastikan bahwa risiko telah “sangat berkurang”.

Pabrik pupuk tidak memiliki alat penyiram atau alarm, menurut para pejabat. Meskipun diperiksa setiap tahun, itu mematuhi kode bangunan dari tahun 1939 – tahun dibangun.

Hujan yang dimulai Rabu malam dan diperkirakan akan berlanjut hingga Jumat telah membantu memadamkan api – tetapi dapat menimbulkan masalah lain.

“Negatifnya adalah ketika hujan turun, itu mendorong asap turun ke tanah, menciptakan lebih banyak bahaya kesehatan,” kata kepala batalyon Winston-Salem, Patrick Grubbs, kepada wartawan.

Penduduk setempat mengatakan asap telah mencemari udara yang mereka hirup. Pada malam kebakaran, Debora Freeman dan suaminya sedang berkendara setengah mil dari lokasi ketika mereka melihat barikade polisi. “Kami menabrak dinding asap, dan kami bisa melihat nyala api menyala di malam hari,” kata Freeman, yang tinggal beberapa mil dari fasilitas itu. “Itu masuk ke tenggorokanmu dan terlihat seperti kabut yang sangat tebal.”

Untuk mencegah bencana kimia, Badan Perlindungan Lingkungan diharuskan untuk mengatur fasilitas industri yang mengandung bahan berbahaya seperti hidrogen fluorida dan klorin di bawah Rencana Manajemen Risiko Undang-Undang Udara Bersih. Amonium nitrat tidak tunduk pada peraturan federal ini. Data EPA menunjukkan bahwa risiko dari bencana kimia “berada pada populasi minoritas dan berpenghasilan rendah ke tingkat yang jauh lebih besar daripada risiko yang memengaruhi populasi lain”.

“Masyarakat di Carolina Utara dan di seluruh negeri seharusnya tidak harus hidup di bawah evakuasi dan berlindung di tempat yang diperintahkan,” kata Emma Cheuse, pengacara senior di organisasi hukum lingkungan Earthjustice. “Kita tahu bahwa menghirup asap dan polusi dari bahan kimia berbahaya sangat berbahaya. Saat ini orang-orang mengalami kerugian parah yang seharusnya tidak pernah mereka hadapi.”

Pada hari Rabu, organisasinya merilis pernyataan bersama dengan kelompok advokasi lokal dan nasional lainnya yang menyerukan EPA untuk memperkuat peraturan federal tentang penyimpanan dan penggunaan bahan kimia, dan keselamatan fasilitas industri. “Ini jelas merupakan masalah yang perlu digunakan EPA sepenuhnya untuk menyelesaikan dan mencegah bencana kimia semacam ini untuk selamanya,” kata Cheuse.

Ledakan pupuk adalah salah satu kecelakaan industri paling mematikan di AS. Pada tahun 1947, hampir 600 penduduk meninggal karena ledakan amonium nitrat di Texas City, Texas. Pada tahun 2013, 15 orang tewas oleh ledakan amonium nitrat di fasilitas lain di West, Texas.

Cerita ini diperbarui dengan berita tambahan pada hari Jumat 4 Februari.

 

 

 

WDA – Pelatihan ONLINE – Analisis Risiko Pabrik Pupuk (Fertilizer) dan Solusi (Re)Asuransi – 14 September 2022 | 0900 – 1200 | POJK no. 44/2020

 

Investigation findings and lessons learned in the west fertilizer explosion – Temuan investigasi dan pelajaran yang dipetik dalam ledakan pupuk barat

 

Risks in Fertilizer Manufacturing Plant – Risiko dalam Pabrik Pupuk

 

Risiko di Pabrik Pupuk | Fertilizer Plant Explosion Exposes Industry’s Dangers

 

 

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