Royal City fire surrounds flammable tanks
Courtesy photo/Nancy Freeman, Grant Co. Fire Dist. No 11Firefighters are shown in ladder trucks on Monday afternoon during a fire near Adams Road, about five miles west of Royal City. About six nearby residents were evacuated from their homes because wood pallets were burning near tanks of anhydrous amnonia, said Grant County Fire District No. 10 and 11 Chief Brian Evans.
ROYAL CITY - About six people were evacuated from their Royal City homes after several thousand wood pallets surrounding anhydrous ammonia tanks caught on fire at a decommissioned missile site.
Firefighters closed off Adams Roads Monday afternoon in preparation for a possible explosion, said Grant County Fire District No. 10 and 11 Chief Brian Evans on Tuesday.
No missiles remain at the site.
The site is leased by Mike Brown of B&G Farms, said Jani Gilbert, a spokesperson with the state Department of Ecology.
The state Department of Ecology ordered B&G Farms to remove pesticides from the site in 2005, said Gilbert. In 2004, Ecology investigators also found several containers on the site containing petroleum products and paint, according to an Aug. 3, 2006, Ecology statement.
The site has since been cleaned up and an Ecology inspector found no violations of the area during an inspection on Tuesday afternoon, Gilbert said.
Gilbert said she doesn't expect there will be any hazardous chemical pollution from the fire. But she added that there's always air pollution from fires.
Evans said the smoke from the fire dissipated by 8 p.m. Monday.
He said precautionary measures were taken because firefighters spotted about six unknown pressure vessels at the fire site. It was later learned the vessels were tanks containing anhydrous ammonia, which is used for fertilizer.
There was the potential for a boiling liquid, expanding vapor explosion also known as a BLEVE, he said.
The fire burned between five to 10 acres and was caused by a metal grinder being used in the area about 1:45 p.m., Evans said. A further investigation isn't required because it's known how the fire started, he said.
The blaze started in a pile of items, which also included mint still parts, fuel tanks, a semitrailer, railroad ties and power poles, Evans said.
Firefighters from Moses Lake, Ephrata and Grant County Fire Districts No. 3, 4, 5 and 11 also helped with the fire. Ladder trucks were brought in from Moses Lake, Ephrata and Grant County Fire District No. 5, he said.
The Grant County Sheriff's Office, Washington State Patrol and Royal City Police assisted with road control, evacuations and road closures, he said.