A risk of explosion and toxic smoke from a raging fire at a food processing plant in south Salinas has prompted the Salinas Fire Department to begin evacuating nearby residents.
The evacuation notice is for the areas near the fire — at the Taylor Farms Processing Facility — between South Main Street, East Alisal Street, Alisal Road and Harris Road. The order is due to the potential for an explosion and hazmat plume of ammonia that can change the impacted areas based on shifts in wind direction, according to a 2:19 a.m. news release from city officials.
The blaze has now closed four nearby elementary schools, city officials announced shortly after 5:30 a.m. — Lincoln Elementary, Monterey Park Elementary, Sherwood Elementary and Los Padres Elementary.
Nearly 100 firefighters from 22 fire units across Monterey County are reportedly on the scene battling the four-alarm blaze, which started shortly after 7 p.m. Wednesday.
