Crews Respond to Explosion at Brainerd Chemical PlantCrews Respond to Explosion at Brainerd Chemical Plant

Several fire departments were called to the Brainerd Chemical plant in Dunn, NC Tuesday morning after an explosion was reported in a warehouse at the facility, local news organizations reported.

A Harnett County Emergency Services official said in coverage by WRAL that the blast occurred at about 11:30 am after sodium chloride and sulfuric acid were mixed. The chemicals were combined during a normal chemical process, Harnett County Chief Deputy Fire Marshall Banks Wallace stated in an interview with The Johnston County Report.

“An incident today involving the inadvertent mixture of two compounds caused an evacuation of the facility and led us to notify first responders,” the company’s president, Neil Morgan, said in a statement printed by the Dunn Daily Record. “Only one employee was involved, and the person was not injured and did not require medical treatment.”

Morgan told the newspaper that the blast occurred in the plant’s warehouse.

40 to 50 firefighters were on scene during the incident, according to WRAL. A portion of the facility’s roof and a wall were minorly damaged.

Brainerd Chemical is a manufacturer and distributor of chemicals for industrial plants, agricultural operations, and research facilities.