911 calls for Silfab site offer new details on Fort Mill plant chemical releases
York County answered three 911 calls over a three-day span in early March, all asking for emergency response at Silfab Solar. One asked for an ambulance, one calmly explained a chemical spill had happened and one tipped off authorities to an acid leak.
The Herald obtained audio of all three calls under the state public records law after requesting details about two chemical release incidents.
On March 3, an estimated 300 gallons of potassium hydroxide solution spilled at the 7149 Logistics Lane site in unincorporated Fort Mill. York County announced a separate hydrofluoric acid leak on March 5.
Those events set off intense debate across Fort Mill about whether the Canadian solar panel manufacturer should be allowed to operate on its site. The Fort Mill School District closed neighboring Flint Hill Elementary School for two days. County, state and federal officials called for investigations or reviews of Silfab.
The presence of Silfab had long stirred controversy in the community.
York County redacted names and personal contact information from the 911 calls provided to the Herald. Still, the calls offer new details on how the chemical incidents were reported, and what happened at the Silfab site.
Initial spill of ‘high pH water’ reported
At 9:42 a.m. on March 3, a caller who later self-identified himself as the plant facilities director at Silfab Solar reported a “spill of high pH water.” Water mixed with potassium hydroxide spilled outside the building on its north side, the caller told a 911 operator.
Both the caller and operator maintained a calm tone throughout the five-and-a-half minute call. Emergency response crews were on site by the end of the conversation.
The caller told the operator “about 1,500 gallons” spilled, a number that fits with the York County public statement less than an hour later that 1,530 gallons were released. York County would revise that estimate more than an hour later, by just after noon on March 3, to about 300 gallons.
Both the initial and revised amounts of how much potassium hydroxide solution was released came from conversations with Silfab, according to the county.
The spill of nonflammable liquid involved the acid scrubber unit that had stopped prior to the 911 call, the caller told the operator. Silfab had already contacted a hazmat company to assist with cleanup.
No injuries, flames, smoke or vapor clouds occurred, the caller said.
The solution Silfab uses to scrub acid fumes was feeding into a scrubber and went past its set point, the caller said. “It was eating into our acid scrubber,” the caller said.
As the solution continued to pump, Silfab personnel added more water to keep the pH low. That’s what overflowed the system and caused the spill, the caller said.
Safety placards are used for hazardous materials to indicate risk levels for people who handle them, including emergency response workers. When asked by the operator, the caller said potassium hydroxide solution doesn’t have a special placard but that potassium hydroxide by itself would.
An ambulance call for Silfab site
Two days after the initial 911 call, the county received two more calls related to Silfab. One requested an ambulance.
A 6:24 a.m. call on March 5 lasted about a minute and a half. The caller reported having received an image from an “anonymous community member” indicating there was an acid leak at Silfab Solar.
“An image of a sign posted on the door,” the caller told the 911 operator, “as well as fans and red tape that clearly state that there is an active hydrofluoric acid leak at Silfab Solar.”
The 911 operator took the report, and said someone would reach back out to the caller, then ended the conversation.
At 8:02 p.m., another call came in requesting medical help for a 25-year-old woman.
“My daughter is sick,” the caller told the 911 operator. “She’s throwing up in a bathroom.”
The daughter was conscious but had stomach pains and could barely breathe, according to the caller. The daughter hadn’t had those symptoms previously.
Both the daughter and caller were inside the Silfab building when the call was placed, according to the recording.
The caller didn’t give a reason why the daughter was sick, or if it was related to any spill or chemical issue at the Silfab site.
More 911 calls followed
The initial three 911 calls weren’t the only ones the county received this month related to Silfab.
On March 9, an alarm went off at night that prompted neighbors of the Silfab site to call 911, according to a company statement the following day. There wasn’t any threat to the public or worker safety, according to Silfab.
Silfab and York County have maintained throughout the incidents this month that the public wasn’t in any danger due to the chemical releases.
Contentious Silfab Solar history
The Silfab site has been a contentious issue for three years around Fort Mill.
York County planners informed Silfab they could operate in the light industrial site on Logistics Lane, but a county Zoning Board of Appeals later determined solar panel manufacturing should only be allowed in heavy industrial areas.
Public outcry against Silfab operating at its location has been consistent, but heightened last fall when Flint Hill Elementary opened.
Several legal cases have been filed related Silfab’s site in Fort Mill, prompting York County and the company to communicate with the public in recent months mainly through prepared statements.
Late Wednesday afternoon, York County and the Fort Mill School District issued a joint statement asking residents to call 911 if an emergency occurs at Silfab or anywhere else, rather than communicating “through unofficial channels” that could delay response times or spread inaccurate information. The statement referenced this month’s incidents at Silfab.
“Recently, there have been instances where individuals with knowledge of actual or potential hazardous situations have not contacted public safety authorities immediately, which can create significant challenges for emergency response operations,” the statement said.