Fire erupts at Royster Fertilizer Plant

Justin Faulconer / Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: January 13, 2008

A large-scale fire erupted at the Royster Fertilizer Plant at 2410 Mayflower Drive at 7:35 p.m. Sunday night.

Six fire engines and two medic crews arrived on scene to fight the blaze, which engulfed the plant's 100-foot by 400-foot main building. The fire was contained hours after it started and didn't contaminate the surrounding air quality or groundwater, fire officials said.

Lynchburg police shut down Mayflower Drive from Campbell Avenue to Odd Fellows Road. The fire happened just north of railroad tracks, which were also shut down during the blaze.

Onlookers gathered at various parts along Mayflower to watch the blaze, taking pictures on cell phones and digital cameras as it lit up the sky and spread smoke that could be seen from U.S. 29 and U.S. 460.

Acting battalion chief Tom McCrickard said the cause of the fire is unknown, but an investigation is ongoing. No fatalities or injuries were reported, but McCrickard said a firefighter was sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

He said one positive point was that the fire didn't spread beyond the main building where it began. "We had no exposure problems whatsoever," said McCrickard.

The plant has several other secondary buildings that were not harmed and flames did not threaten surrounding areas with homes or a nearby lumberyard, McCrickard said.

Several neighbors said they heard explosions occur shortly before police responded.

"It was like Pop! Pop! Pop!" said Katherine Edwards, who lives across the street from the plant. "I thought someone was firing off firecrackers."

Tammy Davidson, another Mayflower Drive resident, said she watched the flames burst in their first initial moments. Like many neighbors, she stood in her yard and watched the fire from hundreds of yards away.

"It was like one long row of flame," said Davidson.

Buddy Davidson, who has lived in the area his entire life, was picking up his daughter from church when he noticed the smoke from U.S. 29 south at Sheetz.

He said he remembered a fire that broke out at a former livestock building on Mayflower three decades ago, but this one was much bigger.

Firefighters battled the blaze for more than three hours and were still doing so around midnight, though the flames had mostly cleared.

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