N.C. fire chief: Apex plant chemicals unknown

The fire chief for the town of Apex told a North Carolina state task force that he was prepared to lose an entire city block when a chemical fire ignited an industrial waste recycling plant last month because he didn’t know what was inside.

Fire Chief Mark Haraway said he couldn’t determine the volatility or type of chemicals in the Oct. 5 blaze that gutted the EQ Industrial Services plant. EQ officials were unable to immediately provide a list of chemicals stored at the site.

“We didn’t have an exact inventory (of the chemicals in the facility), but we knew what the potential was,” Haraway told the Hazardous Materials Task Force during its first meeting.

North Carolina reporting laws currently mirror federal standards, which require only minor disclosure and reporting.

Gov. Mike Easley formed the panel to analyze the response to the fire and ways to prevent future problems at 10 similar facilities around North Carolina.

A preliminary report is due Dec. 15.

Copyright 2006 Associated Press.