SOUTH HILL, Va. — More than a dozen firefighters are recovering Monday after they were taken to the hospital following their battle with a massive fire Saturday at Nutrien Ag Solutions on West Danville Street in South Hill, Virginia.
"It's just devastating to see," Wellsley Branzelle, who saw the vehicle crash that led to the fire that destroyed the fertilizer warehouse, said. “I mean, the building is completely gone."
The 28-year-old was told she and her husband were likely the only witnesses to the driver who smashed into two propane tanks behind the building.
Watch this update on Virginia firefighters hurt in warehouse fire
"We heard the revving of the engine, and all of a sudden the car was right there," Branzelle said. "And we saw the car run right into the propane tanks and the front of the building.”
Seconds later, the tanks burst into flames, Branzelle said. Her toddlers watched from the backseat of her SUV.
"The burning tank was rolling through the road, and we were able to swerve and miss that part of the tank," she said.
As Branzelle dialed 911, she said her husband ran to notify police who were eating at a restaurant nearby.
"They said that everyone needed to evacuate because there was possibility that the building was going to explode," she said.
As Branzelle and her family left the scene, more than one 150 firefighters ran towards it, while the area was in an excessive heat warning.
South Hill Volunteer Fire Department led the charge, with around eight other area agencies, including Fort Barfoot, traveling to the small town to help.
Officials said at least 15 firefighters were sent to the hospital to be treated for heat exhaustion and chemical exposure.
Watch 15 firefighters hurt battling massive fertilizer warehouse fire in South Hill
Everyone living within half a mile of the Nutrien building was asked to evacuate from 3 p.m. Saturday until 12:30 p.m. Sunday.
"The people that were in some of the houses around were really scared that it was going to spread," Branzelle said. "And we were just super thankful that the fire department was knowledgeable enough to contain it to just that building.”
As the smell of smoke lingers in this small town, so do emergency officials, who are set to monitor air and water quality and also to start the clean-up process.
Branzelle knows this incident is one she and her babies will never forget.
"I've just reminded them that, I mean, it's just a once in a lifetime thing," she said.
Officials have not yet provided an update on the condition of the driver who crashed into the building, but sources told CBS 6 the woman driving the vehicle died from her injuries.
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