All-out response to N.M. fertilizer plant fire

Loving, N.M. — Emergency responders had to be concerned about buildings containing fertilizer while fighting a fire in a storage building at Questa Fertilizer here Monday evening, Nov. 25. Then there was a problem with water pressure, which was resolved by calling in additional tanker trucks from other departments and redirecting supplies temporarily from some village residents. Wind gusts also raised concerns, and a state highway was closed for most of the evening. The plant, owned by brothers Henry and David McDonald, was closed for the night when the alarm came in. Carlsbad Fire Chief Rick Lopez told Green Markets he had one crew and an assistant chief at the scene joining with volunteer firefighters from Loving, Otis, Malaga, Joel, and La Huerta. "It appeared that the fire started in an area where equipment parts were stored. Kind of a catch-all area. As far as the fertilizer plant itself, it was not affected." While grateful that the fire did not spread to a building containing dry fertilizer and sulfur, the McDonalds told the local press that the fire effectively took them out of the liquid fertilizer business. The loss of equipment and other items to the fire was called significant.