First Thing: Thousands evacuated after US fertilizer plant fire
About 6,500 are under evacuation orders in North Carolina. Plus, Mitski on being consumed'
Good morning.
About 6,500 people are under evacuation orders after a fire at a North Carolina fertilizer plant and fears that it could result in the largest US explosion ever.
Has it caused air pollution? Locals say the fire has created fumes that get in your throat and look like a very thick fog".
What is the Environmental Protection Agency's role in this? It is not required to regulate facilities with ammonium nitrate under the Clean Air Act risk management plan. Environmental lawyers are calling for this to change.
What do we know about the suspect? Coleman was wanted on a warrant out of another county for being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.
Did gun violence rise during the pandemic? The US saw its highest-ever recorded annual increase - 30% - in murders in 2020, FBI statistics show.
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