2-20-14 – Location – Northwood, Iowa – Incident – Chemical Storage Fire

An entire Iowa town has been evacuated after a fire erupted at storage facility containing dangerous chemicals early Thursday morning, authorities said.

Northwood_Iowa_Chemical_Storage_Facility_Fire

Officials ordered the mass evacuation of roughly 2,000 residents of Northwood, Iowa after an explosion rocked a warehouse within Northwood Municipal Airport that crop dusters frequently use to fuel up for fertilizing runs, the Iowa State Patrol said.

A spokeswoman for Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, which is roughly 30 miles away from the scene, said that four people walked into the hospital seeking treatment.

Plumes of smoke saturated with chemicals including sulfuric acid have forced officials to move residents of the rural community to the Kensett Community Center, which is roughly six miles away, Sgt. Scott Bright told the Daily News.

“We’re trying to get everyone out of there,” Bright said.

Residents have not been cleared to return as of Thursday afternoon and first responders are waiting to see whether the noxious smoke dissipates, officials said.

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“The big thing now is we’re waiting to see where this plume goes,” Bright said. “It’s going to depend on which direction the wind takes us.”
Northwood, Iowa is near the Iowa-Minnesota border. Four people were admitted to a hospital following the explosion.
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Northwood, Iowa is near the Iowa-Minnesota border. Four people were admitted to a hospital following the explosion.

Bright said the four injured were being treated for respiratory issues.

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Hospital officials are expecting symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and respiratory issues due to the chemical-laden area.

Worthy County Emergency Management issued the alert shortly after 9 a.m. The agency could not be immediately reached for comment.

Residents described a mad scramble to clear the entire rural town.

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“The cops came to my house at 9:30 and told me I had to leave,” Dennis Lau told the Mason City Globe Gazette. “We didn’t know what was going on. They just told us to get out of town as fast as we could. I got my dogs and left.”

Northwood is in northern Iowa near the Minnesota border, 130 miles north of Des Moines.