Salute to heroes: 261 Winston-Salem firefighters honored for work at Winston Weaver plant
Crews averted would could have been "one of the worst explosions in US history"
Crews averted would could have been "one of the worst explosions in US history"
Crews averted would could have been "one of the worst explosions in US history"
The American Red Cross is recognizing 261 Winston-Salem firefighters with a Salute to Heroes award for their work containing the late-January chemical explosion and fire at Winston Weaver fertilizer, a fire which city leaders said at the time had the potential to be "one of the worst explosions in U.S. history."
No civilians or firefighters were injured.
Nine-year veteran Darrius Johnson was one of the first people on the scene that night.
"We were flowing a copious amount of water," he recalls. "When I went back to look at the rail car and my battalion chief identified the rail car as ammonium nitrate that's when he was like, 'back up.'"
Plant leaders told the city there was about 90 tons of ammonium nitrate in the rail car and another 500 tons inside the building, spread across two piles. Winston-Salem fire chief Trey Mayo said ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound known for being unpredictable.
"You never are real sure with ammonium nitrate as to exactly what it's going to do and how it's going to behave when you have uncontrolled conditions like we had the night of the fire," Mayo said.
In 2013, an ammonium nitrate explosion at a fertilizer plant in the town of West, Texas killed 15 people and injured more than 260. There was ten times that amount of chemical at Winston Weaver and about 6,500 people living within a one-mile radius of the facility.
"I don't describe the way I felt that night as being scared, but in 30 – I've been in this business almost 33 years, and it was the most uneasy I had ever felt on a scene like that," Mayo recalls.
It was an exhausting week for the Winston-Salem Fire Department as crews monitored conditions from the ground and the air, talked to experts, briefed the media, and after a few days, began on-site reconnaissance work.
Captain Chad Boger led a hazmat team that had to check on the 90 tons of ammonium nitrate in the rail car.
"We did a thorough, thorough analysis basically from the time we came in that morning and as chief alluded to we spoke with a subject matter expert and he was just a top notch, phenomenal guy. So knowledgeable. So by the time we actually made a decision to go onto of the rail car, we felt very confident that it was in its original state," Boger says.
Once their expectations were confirmed, firefighters were able to start attacking the scene with water and before long they officially declared the scene safe. Speaking on behalf of their entire department Mayo, Boger, and Johnson all say they are proud of the outcome and humbled by the award.
"It feels great, it really does. Everyone likes positive reinforcement so this is a great honor and we appreciate it," Boger said.
"You just have to respect the expertise, commitment to duty, the bravery all those things that are sort of built into a firefighter's character," said Mayo.
"I love it. I love it. Yes, sir. Hopefully I'll get another one of these in my career but nothing like this!" said Johnson.
The 2022 Salute to Heroes awards are set for September 22 at the Millennium Center in Winston-Salem. Visit the Red Cross website to learn more about the program or to purchase tickets.