Evacuation order lifted after residents of Washington State town were told to flee due to explosion threat

Residents of a Washington State town were told to flee Thursday night due to the threat of a potential explosion, but the order was lifted early Friday by officials.

Local police and fire agencies responded to a commercial structure fire at Washington Potato Company in Warden, Washington, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

There was a “risk of ammonia tank explosion,” the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office gave residents the all clear signal in a tweet early Friday morning.

Warden is located about 90 miles southwest of Spokane. The population of the town is approximately 2,800, according to a recent Census Bureau estimate. It is unclear at this time the exact number of residents ordered to evacuate.

Authorities issued a Level 3 evacuation, which meant “GO NOW” for “All areas west of Road U-SE and south of SR170, Warden,” a tweet from the sheriff’s office said late Thursday.

“Law enforcement officers will go door-to-door to notify persons in the Level 3 area,” the message said.

Officials said there have been no reports of injuries so far.

“The Red Cross can provide assistance to those displaced by the #WardenFire,” the Grant County Sheriff’s Office tweeted.

According to the Washington Potato Company, owned by Oregon Potato Co., it is known for “premium quality dehydrated and dehydrofrozen potato products both domestically and throughout the world.”