Winston Weaver Fertilizer Fire: $8 Million Class Settlement for 6,500 Evacuated Residents

At about 7 p.m. on January 31, 2022, fire broke out at the Winston Weaver Company fertilizer plant on North Cherry Street in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Inside the burning facility sat at least 500 tons of ammonium nitrate, the same explosive compound behind some of the deadliest industrial disasters in the country. The city's fire chief later said the plant held enough of it to cause one of the worst explosions in U.S. history.

Early on February 1, firefighters were pulled back from the scene as a precaution, and an emergency evacuation order went out in the middle of the night. About 2,500 homes within a one-mile radius were cleared, and nearly 6,500 residents had to leave with little warning. Roughly 500 businesses inside the same zone shut their doors for periods ranging from three days to three weeks. The fire burned for days and took millions of gallons of water to put out. Investigators never determined what started it.

Residents sued the Winston Weaver Company, and the case grew into a class action. Gary Jackson of the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin, a North Carolina plaintiffs' firm, was appointed co-lead class counsel, joined by firm partner Tom Wilmoth. The complaint accused the company of negligence, of failing to meet federal hazardous-materials disclosure requirements, and of violating OSHA rules on how it stored ammonium nitrate. Superior Court Judge Edwin G. Wilson, Jr. granted class certification, clearing the way for thousands of displaced neighbors to recover together.

In August 2025, the company agreed to an $8 million settlement covering roughly 6,500 people who lived or worked within a mile of the plant when the fire started. Jackson called the figure fair and reasonable given the stress and out-of-pocket costs the evacuation forced on families. After attorneys' fees, each eligible person stands to receive about $750, with claims filed by mail or online.

Judge Wilson signed final approval of the residents' settlement on December 8, 2025. A separate case brought on behalf of affected businesses produced an additional $4.5 million, structured so each qualifying business could take a flat $10,000 payment or pursue its actual net losses. "This $4.5 million settlement represents meaningful accountability and critical relief for the hundreds of businesses that were forced to shut their doors," Wilmoth said. Together the two agreements brought the recovery for the neighborhood around the plant to $12.5 million.