A fire tore through Pacific Seafood's processing plant on Newport's Historic Bayfront Sunday morning, prompting Level 3 “Go Now” evacuation orders as authorities scrambled to contain the threat of ammonia contamination. Newport firefighters were dispatched at 8:51 a.m., and within hours a shelter had opened for evacuees and their pets while a state hazardous-materials team raced to the coast. No injuries had been reported as of the latest updates, and the cause of the fire remained unknown.
The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office issued the evacuation alert at 10:13 a.m. Sunday, according to KOIN. Reports differed on how far the evacuation zone extended — an Everbridge alert described the affected area as within a half-mile radius of the Pacific Seafood facility, while a sheriff's office news release said the notice applied to a one-mile radius around the plant. OPB described evacuations within one mile of the plant.
By mid-morning, roughly 40 firefighters were on scene, according to the Lincoln Chronicle. Newport Fire Chief Rob Murphy confirmed that ammonia was present in the smoke from the fire, though he said he was unsure to what degree. The blaze also caused a partial roof collapse inside the plant, the outlet reported.
Highway Shutdown and a Plea to Stay Off 911
As crews worked the scene, Highway 20 was closed from Harney Street west to Highway 101, per KOIN. The sheriff's office also asked the public not to call 911 except for life-threatening emergencies as responders focused on containing the fire and its fumes. The response escalated quickly, the station noted, moving from a morning fire call to evacuation orders, public safety guidance, a temporary shelter and the deployment of a hazardous-materials team.
According to the same report, the cause of the fire had not been determined. The Oregon State Fire Marshal's office said it was sending a regional hazardous-materials team and coordinator to Newport to help manage the chemical risk, the Lincoln Chronicle reported.
Residents Told to Stay Inside, Mask Up Outdoors
The city of Newport recommended that residents stay indoors Sunday or wear a mask if they needed to go outside because of the threat of ammonia contamination, per the Lincoln Chronicle's account. Officials set up a gathering area for displaced residents and their pets at Sam Case Elementary School. By 11:45 a.m., about a dozen evacuees had arrived at the school, where employees handed out food and water, the outlet reported.
Newport sits on the Oregon coast with a population of about 10,000 people, and the Bayfront's seafood processing operations are central to the local economy, according to OregonLive. The outlet noted that ammonia, commonly used as a refrigerant in seafood plants, can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract even in small airborne amounts, according to the CDC, and can cause throat swelling and fluid buildup in the lungs at higher concentrations. Prolonged exposure to extreme ammonia gas can drop blood-oxygen saturation or cause chemical burns to the trachea, CDC experts have said, and officials note that children are especially susceptible to ammonia exposure because of their smaller airways.
As of the most recent reports, authorities had not announced when evacuation orders might be lifted or whether the fire had been fully contained. The scale of any ammonia release, the exact evacuation boundary and what ultimately sparked the blaze all remained open questions Sunday as crews continued working the scene on Newport's waterfront.
