Athens, Texas — A May 29 fire at a fertilizer storage building owned by East Texas Ag Supply caused no injuries, but authorities evacuated a five-block area of Athens, Texas, as a precaution due to the presence of ammonium nitrate in the structure. The fire was first reported at around 5:45 p.m. in the wood and cinder block building, and authorities quickly enforced the evacuation. Firefighters did not approach the fire or attempt to put it out, instead allowing it to burn itself out by about 7:30 p.m. There were no employees in the building at the time of the fire, and authorities were uncertain how much ammonium nitrate was stored in the structure or what sparked the blaze. The fire did not cause an explosion, but fears of a possible blast similar to the one that occurred last year in West, Texas, caused many Athens businesses to self-evacuate even outside the cordoned-off area. News reports said Trinity Community College closed its Athens campus about a mile south of the burning warehouse. Athens is located about 70 miles southeast of Dallas in Henderson County, and has a population of 12,000 people. The East Texas Ag Supply facility is located on a Union Pacific railroad line, about three blocks from the Henderson County Courthouse at the center of the Athens business district. The evacuation order remained in effect early Friday morning, May 30, affecting approximately 300-350 residents.
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