Learning from Environmental Quality’s hazmat facility fire
By Connie Vitello
HazMat Magazine
TORONTO — Facilities that handle hazardous materials dread disasters and are legally required to do everything reasonable to prevent them. But sometimes explosions and fires occur despite government regulation and oversight. In October 2006, all hell broke loose at the Environmental Quality (EQ) Company facility on the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina.
The events of that day hold useful lessons for any company that handles or stores dangerous chemicals or wastes.
Late in the evening of October 5, a series of explosions erupted at EQ’s 3,000-square-foot hazardous waste warehouse. Flames shot 200 feet into the air and blanketed the town of Apex with toxic smoke. This led responders to evacuate more than half town’s 32,000 residents. About 30 people were sent to area hospitals for treatment of respiratory injuries, some of them severe.
Full Story: Toxic Lessons; Learning from EQ’s HazMat Facility Fire