DEQ confirms cause, location of hazmat incident in Brunswick County

The release of chlorine gas caused a hazmat situation around Navassa that closed roads early Saturday morning and resulted in day-long mitigation efforts.

Shawn Taylor, public information officer with the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division, confirmed the incident occurred at American Distillation.

"The NC Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team responded to the site," Taylor said in an email.

He noted that the Environmental Protection Agency offered air monitoring resources and actively coordinated with North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (NCDEQ), North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM), and the U.S. Coast Guard.

Several roads — including sections of I-140 — were closed and homes and businesses in the area were evacuated “out of an abundance of caution," according to a release from Brunswick County.

Previous coverage: Hazmat cleanup nearly complete, crews to monitor area for next several days

The road closures lasted from early Saturday morning until around 8 p.m. Saturday and created traffic delays around the Leland area and into downtown Wilmington. The news release from Brunswick County noted there was no information about the cause of incident.

The incident was first reported to Brunswick County 911 just after 5 a.m. Saturday morning. According to 911 call logs obtained by the StarNews, the caller advised that there were bags of chlorine powder that had moisture in them and were "smoldering." The caller reported seeing a gas cloud or vapor.

The Navassa Volunteer Fire Department responded to the incident and alerted Brunswick County Emergency Management, according to Brunswick County spokeswoman Meagan Kascsak. The incident involved water coming into contact with a chemical called Trichloroisocyanuric acid, which Kascsak noted is "an industrial version of shock chlorine used in swimming pools."

"The State Emergency Operations Center deployed two NC Regional Response Team (NCRRT) units to the scene, where hazmat technicians quickly conducted air monitoring, investigation, and sampling of the incident area," Kascsak said in an email. "Public safety personnel were able to quickly stabilize the area and mitigate any threats to the public through these actions."

In an email, Justin Graney, chief of external affairs and communications with North Carolina Emergency Management, explained that North Carolina Emergency Management dispatched North Carolina Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team 2 from Wilmington and Team 3 from Fayetteville, as well as a North Carolina Emergency Management Coordinator. Hazmat technicians surveyed the scene and obtained sampling data.

"The information obtained by NCRRT Hazmat Technicians aids local emergency responders in what protective actions, if any, are necessary to ensure that the public is safe," Graney said. "This response is a wonderful example of how North Carolina uses a whole-of-community response methodology to address public safety in our state."

Several other agencies responded Saturday, including the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, the Navassa Police Department, Sunny Point Fire and Rescue, Brunswick County EMS, Leland Fire Department, the U.S. Coast Guard, and New Hanover County EMS.

In addition to shutting down roads, the incident also affected river traffic. According to the 911 logs, U.S. Coast Guard and North Carolina Wildlife were advised of a "cloud of chlorine gas over the Cape Fear River" in the area of the CSX Bridge and the I-140 bridge.

Clean up and hazard mitigation continued throughout the day with some roads re-opening Saturday afternoon.

Graney said the incident was "quickly stabilized" and "any threat to the surrounding community, if present, was rapidly mitigated." As of 8:30 p.m. Saturday, all roadways were reopened and anyone who had been evacuated was cleared to return. While all North Carolina Emergency Management and North Carolina Hazardous Materials Regional Response teams had cleared the scene Monday, Graney said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency remained onsite "conducting air monitoring and coordinating clean-up and disposal of the involved chemical."

The StarNews reached out to American Distillation for comment, and while the operator confirmed the incident occurred in the area near the company she said she could not provide additional details about the incident. The spokesperson for the company was unavailable, and a message left was not returned by the time of publication.

According to the news release from Brunswick County, no injuries were reported, and there was no identified threat to the community.

Erin Wilson, spokeswoman for the N.C. Department of Labor, said staff in the Occupational Safety and Health Division spoke with Brunswick County 911, and since no employees were transported for medical services, the organization would not be opening an investigation.

“The employer isn’t required to report it to our OSH Division unless someone is hospitalized (overnight) for treatment,” Wilson said in an email.

Kascsak said the cause of the incident is still under investigation, and air and water quality monitoring will continue over the next several days.

"The EPA along with other state and federal agencies will lead the investigation into the incident and make decisions on any repercussions or fines as warranted," Kascsak said.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: DEQ confirms cause, location of hazmat incident in Brunswick County