Research Triangle Park, NC - Lindsay Cook, Senior Vice President and Certified Industrial Hygienist with The EI Group, Inc. (EI), was called to Hartsville, South Carolina last night at 4:00 am to assist HEPACO at the Agrium Fertilizer Plant that has been burning for over 24 hours.  There have been no injuries reported from the fire that started Monday night at the Agrium plant.  Firefighters continued to battle hotspots Tuesday, and officials were testing water at a nearby lake.

Department of Health and Environmental Control spokesman Adam Myrick said Tuesday the fire was still sending up a lot of smoke. Previous testing found no hazardous chemicals in the air.  Mr. Cook is assisting in the development of a clean-up strategy and environmental monitoring for the owner of the facility.  Approximately 50 people were employed at the plant. Hartsville Mayor Mel Pennington says city officials are meeting with state Commerce officials and representatives from Gov. Nikki Haley's office to assist former employees find new jobs.

About The EI Group, Inc. - The EI Group was founded in 1988 as an environmental, health and safety consulting firm dedicated to providing quality, cost-effective consulting, training and engineering services to the public and private sectors nationwide.  EI, a privately owned company, employs approximately one hundred (100) professionals and is headquartered in Morrisville, North Carolina, with branch offices in Charlotte and Wilmington, North Carolina; Richmond and Roanoke, Virginia; Greenville, South Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky; and Dallas, Texas.

For more information on The EI Group and its service offerings, please contact Adam Underwood, at aunderwood@ei1.com or 919.459.5264.

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