Hickory FD contacted EPA OSC Raleigh Outpost, Ken Rhame, with a report that an abandoned building, previously Karolina Polymers, had flooded due to a ruptured sprinkler system. The building contains several drums, tanks, vats, and may also contain a potential radiation source. There is evidence that vandals and trespassers have been inside the building. The property owner has not been identified, the last person to pay taxes has been contacted and granted EPA access to the extent that she has authority. Hickory FD and NCDENR requested EPA assistance during entry and assessment. The facility location is only several hundred yards from an un-related oil spill that OSC Rhame was working on. Additional START contractor (Tetra Tech) resources were mobilized to provide monitoring and hazard categorization capabilities for assessment.
