Workers Evacuate Perdue Farms Plant During Chemical Fire

Staff evacuated the Perdue Farms processing plant in Accomac, VA on Wednesday during a fire in two chemical storage tanks, several local news organizations reported. 

Fire crews responded to the Lankford Highway facility after the fire ignited at about 2:30 p.m. Upon arrival, firefighters determined that a tank containing parasitic acid and another tank holding chloride were ablaze, coverage by ShoreDailyNews.com said. Both tanks were located outside of the structure. 

Officials ordered the plant to evacuate the area at about 3:45 p.m. People living within two miles of the plant were ordered to shelter-in-place until about 7:45 p.m. as a precaution. Operations at the Perdue plant were temporarily shut down after the fire.  

The properties of the chemicals involved in the incident posed challenges to firefighters working to control the flames. 

“The situation is, these chemicals… you cannot put water on them or they will explode,” Accomac County Board of Supervisors Chairman Donald L. Hart Jr. told Delmarva Now. “So, the county staff and people are staying away until it burns itself out.”

No injuries were logged during the incident. 

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