By Andru McCracken

On June 6, Carthage firefighters and police were called to the Dyno Nobel explosives plant west of the city at the report of a fire at the plant, according to a report published in the Carthage Press.

Journalist John Hacker reported that police and firefighters closed down two roads on the outskirts of the town. Deputies went door to door to warn residents of the fire.

Captain Jerry Gilbert said that there was no evacuation of homes.

“We just wanted to control the scene while the fire department determined what was happening,” Gilbert said. “With what that plant does, we want to do our best to get out there as quickly as possible to limit the access and protect the public.”

The vice president for plant operations of the company said the incident was minor and firefighters didn’t enter the plant grounds. A manager at the plant said something malfunctioned in an auger mixing fuel and oxidizer (two components of dynamite) the friction caused smoke in one of the buildings at the plant. The plant manager said that no one saw any flames and that between 40 and 45 people were working at the plant at the time.

The Carthage Press found that there had been a previous incident at the plant on May 24, 2000, resulting in the destruction of a building and release of ammonia, nitric acid, nitric oxide and other materials to the soil and air (this information can be found online at www.rtknet.org).

Hacker also reported that in the 1960s, a major explosion at the plant rocked Carthage and blew out windows as far away as the Carthage Square (over 6 kilometres).