Local water quality also appears safe, says HWU general manager
The head of the Henderson Office of Emergency Management doesn’t expect that there will be any health effects for residents in Henderson County from Saturday’s fire at a chemical plant in Newburgh.
For about 1 ½ hours Saturday evening, the Henderson OEM called for a shelter in place for residents in eastern Henderson County, including Baskett, Spottsville and Reed, as a precautionary measure because of the fire at chemical plant, PBTT Corp. in Newburgh.
Kenny Garrett, the director of Henderson OEM, said he doesn’t expect any local residents to suffer from any ill effects. But if, by chance, something doesn’t feel right, Garrett said residents should seek medical attention.
Garrett said the Kentucky Division of Air Quality went to the scene of the fire in Newburgh and tested the air. Those tests didn’t detect anything in the air that is hazardous to anyone’s health, he said. He said the testing was done at about 9:30 p.m.
Numerous crews from southern Indiana were on scene. The fire, which began Saturday afternoon, wasn’t extinguished until near 4 a.m. Sunday, Garrett said.
Additionally, all the affected areas in Henderson County were far enough away from the fire that anything toxic would be diluted by the time it arrived in Henderson County so that it wouldn’t be dangerous, Garrett said.
He said that toxins can travel about 1 mile in the daytime and 2.6 miles at night, and locations in Henderson County are farther away from the location of the fire than both of those distances.
He said he was able to see the plume of smoke from the fire at his Peabody Building office, which was alarming, and the Saturday evening alert was a precautionary measure which made local residents aware.
“In these types of events, you err on the side of caution,” Garrett said.
To sign up for the Henderson OEM’s hyper-reach alert system, click here.
Local water quality has also been raised as an issue. Henderson Water Utility is monitoring the water quality at its intake point on the Ohio River, said HWU General Manager Bart Boles.
Boles said HWU receives notifications from the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission, which receives testing information for this part of the river conducted by Evansville Water & Sewer Utility. Thus far, Boles said, there doesn’t appear to be any pollution from the fire in the Ohio River.
HWU is also treating its water with extra powder activated carbon, a filtering technique in which pollutants attach to carbon before being rid of from the drinking water supply, Boles said.
Boles also said that water used in fighting the fire drained into a nearby pond—called Vann Park Pond—not the Ohio River.
Meanwhile, Sunday evening Deaconess Hospital made a release for those who may need to seek medical attention.
“In light of the recent press conference regarding the chemical fire at PBTT in Warrick County, and the recommendation from Warrick County Health Department for anyone who came into contact with ash or soot from the fire to seek medical evaluation, we want to ensure you are aware of your options for care.
If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
For non-emergency concerns, several care options are available to you:
Contact your primary care provider with questions or concerns.
Urgent care centers are open daily for walk-in needs.
24/7 urgent care video visits are available anytime to provide support and treatment.
To learn more about these services and find the option that’s right for you, please visit: https://www.deaconess.com/Services/Urgent-Care“
