CHESTER COUNTY, S.C. — Five firefighters were treated for injuries after a massive fire broke out at Carolina Poly in Chester County. They’re expected to be okay.
Fire officials say they received the call around 5 in the morning after pallets caught fire. Soon containers of tires, oils and plastic churned large clouds of smoke into the sky.
Crews from all over the state were mobilized to help control the fire. Around 10 fire departments, some from as far away as Gaffney and Blacksburg, worked to contain the flames. Crews set up perimeters between the woods in the back of the plant and the main building to keep the fire from spreading.
Some interesting information. Just last week, there was a big fire at Poly-America’s headquarters in Grand Praire, Texas. News reports say a power line fell into a storage area full of plastic sheeting. No word yet on what started the fire at the Poly location here in Chester. pic.twitter.com/AXYVTTY3Ny
— Indira Eskieva (@IndiraCN2) August 24, 2020
Family members of workers at the plant waited across the street. James Hinson says his faince, who works at Poly Carolina, was told to stay in the parking lot.
“I hope she’s safe,” said Hinson, “[I’m] hoping they’re gonna let her leave.”
DHEC and EPA also responded to the scene. DHEC released a statement saying, “The EPA is contracting an air and water monitoring team. When they arrive, this team will provide information about the air quality and potential impact from water runoff.”
Firefighting operations will be extended into the night.
