Work on the construction site near River View Townhomes will continue in the coming weeks.
A vault that was struck by a backhoe Monday during construction on the old North American Rayon land caused a chemical substance, suspected as carbon disulfide, to catch flames for two days before flames died off.
“There’s still some of the compound we believe to be carbon disulfide in the dirt,” said Gary Smith, Carter County Emergency Management Agency Director. “The flames have stopped and air monitoring continues. There is no hazardous threat to people in the area.”
The air monitoring will continue while another group, according to Smith, is set to enter the area to remedy the construction area and clear the chemical from the dirt.
Only one vault was discovered during the week long investigation, a second item was found Tuesday, but was reported as a concrete pipe that led into the first pipe.
Shane Abraham, with Universal Development & Construction out of Johnson City, told the Elizabethton Star recently that work on the premise will be postponed from the time-being until remediation of the grounds begins from agencies, including the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation.
While work continues on the road near Stone Wall Drive, residents can expect the road to remain closed for the time-being. Once testing and remediation is completed, the road is expected to open back up, Smith added, while no timeline was officially clarified.