Plans to rebuild fire-destroyed fertilizer plant on hold

By KARI KRAMER | East Texas Edition

Although the El Dorado Chemical facility in Greenville is gone, company officials say customers in need for fertilizer will be served. Other El Dorado plants will be utilized. Above, a bulldozer begins the task of cleaning the site. -- Staff photo by Kramer

Sept. 9, 2004 - Hunt County area producers who purchased fertilizer from El Dorado Chemical in Greenville shouldn't see much of interruption of service, even though the facility has been destroyed by fire.

The fire started in the early morning hours on Sept. 1. The flames at times were estimated at 50 feet, but had subsided dramatically by 10 a.m., according to reports. Billowing smoke, traveling for miles, posed the greatest problem. According to Greenville Fire Chief Ken Ward, the smoke continued until after 6 p.m. on Sept. 1.

The fire completely destroyed the facility, built in the 1960s, which was, at the time, holding 700-800 tons of fertilizer.

According to Larry Riddle, the safety and operations manager for the company's office in Rockwall, the chemicals housed at the plant were not believed to be the cause for the blaze. Ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, sulfur magnesium and diammonium were among the chemicals held at the location. He did not believe the characteristics of those chemicals were capable of causing the fire.

Ward said an initial investigation was done when emergency personnel arrived. He said the department was looking to see if anything had been broken into, but found nothing that made them suspect foul play. It has been determined the fire started in an area where mechanical tools are stored.

"Unfortunately we destroyed most of the evidence (battling) the fire," said Ward.

Ward said the fire was allowed to burn and water was not used to prevent run-off contamination. He added that Eagle Construction and Environmental, an environmental management company, was called in to deal with the situation. Natural soil was added to the site as a fire-control measure.

The El Dorado Chemical facility at Greenville was used for blending chemicals for fertilizer; and most of the product was then delivered to customers within a 35- to 40-mile radius, according to Riddle.

Equipment to spread the chemicals was also available for smaller producers who did not require large batches of product to be delivered. While the facility was lost, most of the spreader buggies and other related equipment survived.

Even though the facility was destroyed on Sept. 1, the company will still service its patrons from other El Dorado locations in Whitewright and Cooper.

"We will redirect customers to those other locations and provide the least inconvenience we can," said Riddle.

Thirty-six hours after the commotion began, the site was being bulldozed. Riddle said the company wanted to clean-up quickly.

"We have not contaminated anything, we just want to get the site cleaned-up," said Riddle.

Tests by the Environmental Protection Agency following the incident concluded that air levels did not require action. The land was also tested and found to be safe for the on-site workers.

Insurance adjusters have visited the site. Riddle said he believed the company would rebuild, but added that a final decision had not been made yet.

During the fire, several area facilities were evacuated or had operations delayed including Bland Elementary, Tiona Truck Lines, Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems and Trans Mix.

Collin County emergency personnel notified residents in the surrounding area using a "reverse 9-1-1" system. A prerecorded message advised them to stay inside. The reverse 9-1-1 system allows emergency personnel to dial 1-1-9 and deliver a message during any type of community-wide emergency. Ward said the system could be used for anything ranging from tornadoes to terroristic activities.

"It's an alternative to the old siren system, which you have to either be outside or standing underneath to be aware of," said Ward.

Greenville does not yet have a reverse 9-1-1 system, but is expected to have a meeting soon. According to Ward, if Greenville adopted the system, it would have the capability to reach the entire city population in a few minutes. While most metroplex areas have the system, several other cities and counties do not.