Chilean Nitrate Company; Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia | 1986-Jun-23
Initial Notification: At approximately 2000 on June 23, 1986, lightning struck a warehouse and ignited a fire at the Chilean Nitrate Company in Portsmouth, Virginia. The warehouse contained approximately 15,000 tons of potassium nitrate and sodium nitrate, which are some of the ingredients for fireworks. USCG district 5.
Incident Details
| Products of concern: | Potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate |
| Total amount at risk of spill: | 30,000,000 gallons |
| Latitude (approximate): | 36° 50.98′ North |
| Longitude (approximate): | 76° 18.69′ West |