On May 30, 2022, at 18:53 hours, the Omaha Fire Department was dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at the Nox-Crete Manufacturing facility, a chemical plant located at 1415 So. 20th Street. First-arriving companies observed heavy smoke conditions and immediately requested additional assistance. By 19:00 hours, a working fire was declared. Crews advanced interior lines but encountered heavy fire deep within the warehouse. Explosions were reported, propane tanks began venting and detonating, and debris was projected more than 50 feet into the air. Incident Command ordered a second alarm at 19:17, and by 19:45 the fire had escalated to a third alarm. Operations shifted to a defensive posture and the Foam Task Force was requested to assist with chemical suppression.
As the evening progressed, walls collapsed, burning fuel flowed into streets, and exposures began to ignite. Public Works was notified of oil and runoff entering storm sewers. Railroad traffic was halted in the area, and OPPD cut power to more than 2,400 customers due to life safety concerns. At 21:00 hours, Incident Command issued a civilian evacuation order. Residents between 13th and 20th Streets, from Leavenworth to Martha Streets, were instructed to evacuate. The Omaha Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, and Union Pacific Police assisted with perimeter control and neighborhood evacuations. The Columbus Community Center at 1523 So. 24th Street was opened as an emergency shelter with Red Cross support. Approximately 13 evacuees registered at the shelter, while others stayed in hotels or with family. During the evacuation effort, civilians repeatedly attempted to enter the hazard area, complicating operations, and OPD was also required to manage a separate incident involving an armed individual resisting evacuation.
On the fireground, companies operated multiple aerial master streams, ground monitors, and foam applications. Relief crews were rotated through the night as propane cylinders continued to explode and large debris rained downwind. At 23:20 hours, Foam Task Force 65 began flowing water, but the volume of chemicals and petroleum products burning limited effectiveness. Drone operations identified spot fires across the complex. By 00:30 hours, some companies began decontamination and demobilization, though heavy fire persisted in the basement of one building. At 04:50 hours on May 31, evacuation recommendations were lifted, and by 08:50 hours command was terminated and the property released back to ownership. More than 75 firefighters rotated through the incident. No civilian or firefighter injuries were reported.
The fire destroyed the warehouse and released an estimated 660,000 pounds of chemicals into the air and stormwater systems. Subsequent testing by the EPA and NDEE on June 1–3 detected volatile organic compounds and hydrocarbons in runoff and debris, though soil and air sampling remained below federal hazard thresholds. Residents reported respiratory distress and health concerns, and confusion surrounded the delayed release of the facility’s chemical inventory, which included hazardous substances such as toluene diisocyanate, xylene, and naphthalene. The EPA later fined Nox-Crete $37,000 for Clean Air Act violations and required the installation of a fire suppression system.
Cleanup began in late August 2022 and involved demolition, debris removal, hazardous waste testing, and groundwater monitoring. State officials confirmed debris contained no asbestos but advised residents to use caution in handling material that had dispersed into neighborhoods.
The Nox-Crete Fire stands as one of Omaha’s most hazardous industrial incidents in recent decades. Beginning as an automatic fire alarm, it escalated within minutes into a three-alarm defensive operation involving explosions, evacuations, environmental contamination, and multi-agency coordination. Though the fire destroyed the warehouse and disrupted power and neighborhoods, the absence of injuries and the containment of wider damage underscored the effectiveness of coordinated fireground command and mutual support agencies.
Comments