By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- A fire broke out Sunday at Pacific Seafood’s processing plant in the Bayport section of Newport, Oregon, prompting an evacuation order over concerns that ammonia tanks could rupture.
- Firefighters kept flames away from the tanks, and the city later reduced its evacuation zone from a 1-mile radius to a couple of blocks around the plant.
- Between 30 and 40 people were in the building when the fire started, all were accounted for, and one firefighter was taken to a hospital for exhaustion.
- The cause of the fire is not known, and crews were still fighting the blaze Sunday evening.
- A company executive said Pacific Seafood expects a major loss.
NEWPORT, Ore. — A fire at a seafood production plant in the coastal city of Newport forced evacuations Sunday amid fears that ammonia tanks at the site could rupture and release dangerous amounts of the chemical into the air, the Associated Press reported.
The fire at Pacific Seafood closed off the Bayport section of Newport, a popular tourist area along Yaquina Bay. Firefighters were able to keep flames from the ammonia tanks but were still battling the blaze Sunday evening.
The city initially ordered an evacuation within a 1-mile radius, which covered businesses and residences and a significant part of the small city, city spokesperson John Fuller said. Officials later reduced the zone to a couple of blocks around the plant after determining the tanks were stable. A shelter first set up at Sam Case Elementary School was moved farther north to Atonement Lutheran Church as a precaution.
Fuller said between 30 and 40 people were in the building when the fire broke out. Fire Chief Rob Murphy said one firefighter was taken to a hospital for exhaustion and no other injuries were reported. Fuller said the cause of the fire is not known.
Ashton Meier, Pacific Seafood’s vice president of resource sales and processing, said in a Sunday evening statement that all team members on site were safe and accounted for, and that the company expects a major loss.
Ammonia is a colorless gas with a sharp odor, and high levels of exposure can irritate the skin, eyes and throat, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Newport, located about 132 miles southwest of Portland, has a population of about 10,000.