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May 23, 2023

UPDATE: Firefighters say they have solution for extinguishing Madison asphalt tanker fire, evacuation lifted

A tanker truck containing liquid asphalt caught fire early Tuesday morning at

A tanker truck containing liquid asphalt caught fire early Tuesday morning at Seal Master contracting company in Madison. Firefighters were at the scene, and residents had been evacuated within a half-mile at 6:30 a.m.

MADISON — A fire deep inside a storage tanker containing 11,500 gallons of liquid asphalt was brought under control by firefighters here Tuesday afternoon after seven harrowing hours during which they feared the massive chemical load might explode.

Fire officials struggled Tuesday morning to find a way to extinguish the fire that erupted in the tanker at Seal Master contracting company at 703 W. Decatur Street before dawn. The company deals in asphalt for paving and sealant for roofing.

And after regional hazardous materials teams and firefighters consulted with a Canadian company that produced the asphalt, local emergency responders arrived at a solution for snuffing out the fire that had resisted dry extinguishing powder known as Purple K, and other conventional abatement methods, said Madison Fire Chief Jim Ritchey during a 2 p.m. news conference at Madison Town Hall.

That method involved creating a permanent hatch along the side of the tank that will allow firefighters to "smother'' the product, Ritchey said.

By 1:35, Ritchey had cleared firefighters from the scene and left monitoring of the still-burning tanker in the hands of Seal Master staff, he said.

"The company is going to monitor the situation and keep fire watch for 24 hours,'' Ritchey said, adding that Seal Master officials will try to determine the cause of the fire by disassembling the tanker for clues, once the fire is completely extinguished.

Calls to the Rockingham County Fire Marshal's office were not immediately returned. The agency usually investigates chemical and other hazardous fires.

Seal Master officials have posited a theory, Ritchey said, that the fire may have been caused by a malfunctioning heating unit that overheated the product in error.

" ... Somehow it got hotter than it was supposed to and caught fire deep inside the vessel, expanded, and the insulation around it ignited as well,'' Ritchey said of Seal Master's hypothesis.

Oxygen "was able to get in through some openings and cracks,'' Ritchey said, noting an air bubble deep within the tank that fed the inferno.

Like lava, asphalt hardens as it cools, and Ritchey expects the material will convert to a big rubber plug. "They will haul it off,'' Ritchey said of the company.

Officials were frank during a 9:45 a.m. news conference at Madison Town Hall about their concerns that the tank might explode.

For that reason, police and EMS officials worked during the early morning to evacuate 50-75 residents living within 1,000 feet of the fire, just a half-mile from downtown and entrenched in one of the area's poorest neighborhoods.

There were no reports of injuries.

By 12:30 p.m., all residents, except for those who lived immediately beside Seal Master, were allowed to return to their homes, Ritchey said. A Code Red alert, which had blocked off streets a half mile from the plant, was lifted at that time, as well.

The fire was first reported by a delivery driver who observed smoke and flame from the tanker at around 6 a.m.

But Catherine Rodenbough, a mail carrier who lives on W. Decatur Street about a quarter mile from Seal Master, said she noticed a strong odor of burning asphalt as early as 3:30 a.m. when she began her work route.

Another Decatur Street resident, Lynette Cardwell, who lives next door to Rodenbough, did not see smoke or smell asphalt, but began feeling ill at around 12:45 p.m. after talking outside for 15 minutes about the fire with emergency personnel.

"The wind was blowing from the plant towards me, '' said she. "I experienced dizziness and chest tightness, which continues. I also have a metallic taste in my mouth,'' Cardwell said.

Because of explosion risk, by mid-morning, emergency response leaders had pulled all firefighters, including firefighters from Stokes and Guilford counties, from the scene and dispatched drones to monitor the fire.

Further troubling to firefighters and residents on Tuesday was the fact that another tank of 6,000 gallons of asphalt sat just 3 feet from the burning tanker, officials said during a morning news conference.

The fire in the first tanker, which has a capacity for 17,000 gallons, appeared to have gone through cycles, seeming to abate, then increasing in temperature, Ritchey said. Hissing noises from the tanker also signaled trouble, Ritchey said. "We don't like that,’’ he said, explaining hisses could hint at an explosion.

Air quality was a concern early in the day for emergency officials who cautioned those with asthma and other respiratory problems to stay away from the smoke and fumes caused by the tanker fire.

All residents should "stay out of the evacuation zone and keep windows and doors closed,’’ Ritchey said.

Nearby schools, which include Dillard Elementary and Western Rockingham Middle School, were alerted and asked to have students and staff shelter in place, according to a spokesman for the Madison Police Department.

It's unclear just how long the fire could last, but health risk is minimal, officials said by late afternoon, noting air quality monitors had found 12 parts per million of fumes in the air near the Seal Master plant. A reading of 35 parts per million is considered relatively safe, by comparison, Ritchey said.

Seal Master manager Paul Kemler declined to comment on the potential cause of the fire Tuesday morning, saying: "We are trying to deal with the situation.’’

Early on Tuesday, EMS workers took precautions and moved all non-ambulatory residents from the immediate area to shelters, including nearby hospital rooms, where they were safe from fumes and the threat of an explosion, officials said.

Other residents took shelter at the Madison Fire Department.

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(336) 349-4331, ext. 6140

@SpearSusie_RCN

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