Fertilizer plant fire smoldering; residents returning home

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — Residents who live near a North Carolina fertilizer plant that has been burning for more than a week are returning home. The Winston-Salem Journal reports that officials reduced the evacuation zone Sunday after determining that the risk of a large explosion had greatly diminished. The Winston Weaver plant began burning a week ago Monday, affecting more than 6,500 residents. A nearby elementary school closed for in-person learning and Wake Forest University canceled classes because of the fire. Nearly 500 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored at the fertilizer plant — almost three times the amount that exploded at a Texas plant in 2013, killing 15 people.