HARDINSBURG, Ky. — The fire at the GreenPoint AG fertilizer plant has been put out, according to Hardinsburg Fire Chief Raleigh Shelton. Shelton said crews left the scene around 7:30 p.m. CT.
According to Shelton, fire crews first responded to the fire at the fertilizer plant off Highway 261 S at 11 a.m. CT. Crews had to let the fire burn for several hours because Shelton said they were not able to use water to put out the fire because of the material inside the building.
"There was about 300 tons worth of fertilizer inside the building and most the product reacts volatile to water, so we couldn't just go in and throw water on it," he said.
Shelton said after the fire collapsed the building and was under control, crews used foam to put out the remaining fire.
"It was like thick black smoke that was up in the air," Dustin Cundiff, a team lead at the Tractor Supply Co. store down the road, said.
"Smoke billowing up probably 200-300 feet up in the air," Walter Pate, a Hardinsburg resident, said. "It was pretty intense."
Emergency crews evacuated some people who were in the immediate area and placed people in Hardinsburg and other surrounding communities under a shelter in place order until the early evening as a precaution.
"By far everyone in here has asked, 'What's going on?'" Cundiff said. "Some people didn't even know what was going on."
According to Cundiff, a few people also bought face masks from the Tractor Supply Co. to protect themselves from the smoke coming from the fire.
"Closest smell I can say was like burning tires, like it had that distinct musty smell to it and it was so heavy you could taste it," he said. "I still have a headache from the smell from like breathing it in."
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