WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — It’s a heavy burden to carry as Winston-Salem’s Fire Chief makes decisions about fire operations while keeping firefighters and the community safe from harm.
It has been a long 72 hours since the fire started at the Winston Weaver fertilizer plant Monday prompting evacuations within a one-mile radius of the plant.
Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo couldn't hold back tears Thursday afternoon while talking about the emotional toll of those decisions and the dedication of his firefighters.
"I have gotten dozens of phone calls, emails, text messages from around the country saying, 'You're doing the right thing. Keep making the decisions you're making. Keep listening to the expert advice.' I can go to bed and sleep the rest of my life being confident in the decisions we made this week," Mayo said during a Thursday afternoon update.
Mayo has consulted with a nationwide ammonium nitrate expert about the 600 tons of fertilizer-making chemicals inside the plant. He’s also asked the expert about the decisions they’ve made in fire operations. He became emotional while talking about the conversation he had with the expert.
“It was reassuring when the ammonium nitrate subject matter expert arrived yesterday…and I said, ‘Shoot me straight. If you’d have been here Monday night what would we have done differently?’ And he said, ‘Absolutely nothing.’ He said – I get a little bit emotional about it – he said, ‘The decisions you all have made are exactly what we would have done if you had had me here the whole time.’ I’m confident in those decisions and proud of the work our folks have done this week," Mayo said.
The Winston Weaver plant contains nearly three times the amount of the fertilizer-making chemicals compared to the West, Texas fertilizer plant which killed 15 and injured dozens more when it exploded in 2013.
No one was injured in the Winston Weaver fire.
A 12-person task force made up of several agencies, including the SBI and ATF, is investigating the fire.