County provides details of ‘active hazmat incident’ – Washington Daily News

At approximately 8 a.m., Beaufort County Risk Manager Jennifer Ore was notified of a hazardous reaction at Beaufort County's Plymouth Street Booster Station. It was reported that a supplier was delivering a supply of liquid ammonium sulfate when it was accidentally mixed with sodium hypochlorite. This mixture immediately began to gas and the delivery process was halted. 911 was notified and the building was immediately investigated.

The delivery person was transported by ambulance for assessment.

Emergency crews included Washington Fire Rescue, Washington Police Department, Beaufort County Emergency Services, NC Emergency Management and HRRT of Williamston, Washington Fire Department and Washington Police Department.

Several local businesses have been evacuated as a precaution. This mixture no longer emits gases and is contained in its original poly container.

This mixture did not enter our water supply and has no impact on the quality of the drinking water provided by our district.

We continue to ask people to avoid the 3^rd and 4^th Street areas of Plymouth Street.

At 12:54 the following update was provided –

The delivery company's contracted cleanup crew has safely transferred the mixed chemicals into a secured shipping container and will transport the product off-site for safe disposal. The Plymouth Street Booster Station in Beaufort County has been cleared for normal operations and all emergency crews are currently clearing the area.

All previously evacuated stores are currently in the process of reopening.

We would like to thank our citizens and visitors for staying off Plymouth Street in Washington while emergency crews responded to this incident. We also want to remind everyone that this incident did not impact the quality of drinking water in Beaufort County and there are no atmospheric hazards to our community.

We would also like to thank Washington Fire/Rescue/EMS, Washington Police Department, Williamston Regional Response Team, NC Emergency Management, Beaufort County Public Works and Beaufort County Office of Emergency Services for their quick and professional response.