Sunday, January 11, 2015

PORT NEAL FERTILIZER PLANT IN SIOUX CITY, IOWA DAMAGED IN FIRE, EXPLOSION; NO ONE INJURED



PORT NEAL FERTILIZER PLANT IN SIOUX CITY, IOWA DAMAGED IN FIRE, EXPLOSION; NO ONE INJURED


Emergency vehicles are shown at the scene of a fire and explosion Saturday evening at the Nulex plant in the Port Neal industrial area near Sergeant Bluff. No one was injured. A plant official said Sunday production at the facility is expected to resume within a few days.
SERGEANT BLUFF, IOWA | The cause of a fire and explosion at a Port Neal fertilizer plant likely won't be known for several days, Gary Brown, director of emergency services for Woodbury County, said Saturday night.
No one was injured, but the Nulex plant received significant damage, Brown said. He said plant officials will have more information Sunday about how operations may be affected.
In all, 65-80 firefighters from about a dozen area departments responded to the 6:04 p.m. fire call at 2717 Port Neal Circle, Brown said. Officials did not release any information about the situation until close to 9:30 p.m., after the fire had been contained.
Brown said emergency crews will stay on the scene through the night to make sure it doesn't flare up.
He said an explosion occurred shortly after the first fire crews arrived, and one of the processing buildings became fully involved in flames.
Hazmat crews from Sioux City Fire Rescue were assessing chemicals at the scene, Brown said.
Nulex produces liquid zinc micronutrients, according to its website.
The Port Neal industrial area is also home to fertilizer manufacturer CF Industries, which is building a $1.7 billion expansion.

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SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa | A Northwest Iowa fertilizer plant damaged in a Saturday night fire is expected to return to production in a few days.
No employees were working when the fire occurred at the Nulex plant, at 2717 Port Neal Circle, in the Port Neal Industrial Area south of Sioux City. Officials are investigating to find a cause for the fire, which drew about 80 personnel from a dozen area fire departments. No one was injured.
Nulex spokesman Jason Glover on Sunday said the fire was in a storage building and not in the main production facility. That means the 20 employees at the plant will likely be able to return to work in a few days, he said.
The fire began about 6 p.m., and later resulted in an explosion, Glover said. He praised emergency responders.
"We are thankful for the incredible coordination of the firefighters from all the communities," Glover said.
Nulex has been in Port Neal since 1971, on a 40-acre site. Nulex produces liquid zinc micronutrients, which are mixed with liquid fertilizers to aid soil that is low on zinc. Glover said the business had never before experienced a fire that halted production.
The Iowa State Fire Marshal and Iowa Department of Natural Resources are handling the investigation.
It took about three hours to extinguish the fire on Saturday. Woodbury County Emergency Services Department Director Gary Brown said personnel controlled chemicals at the site so the blaze didn't become bigger.
Brown said fighting the fire wasn't easy since temperatures were in the low-20s. But he said he was thankful the temperature wasn't in the below-zero range as it had been earlier in the week.
"No one was injured at the site and as part of the response. That's a good night," Brown said.