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A North Carolina environmental agency has approved a plan to test the soil and groundwater for contamination at the site of a massive fertilizer-plant fire in January.

The wildfire started June 19 by a lightning strike. It's burning soil underground that's thousands of years old and full of carbon. One expert calls the situation a tragedy.

The Police Department currently has 168 vacancies, or about 20% of the force, according to Matthew Cooper, president of the Raleigh Police Protective Association.

A North Carolina city confirms that firefighters responded in late December to what an incident report called a smoldering pile of 鈥渇ertilizer material鈥� at a plant where, weeks later, an explosion and uncontrolled flames would force thousands to flee their homes.

Winston-Salem Battalion Chief Patrick Grubbs said Thursday that there's still a risk of an explosion and officials still want people to stay out of the area. The area where officials have called on people to evacuate includes about 6,500 people in 2,500 homes. Grubbs says there鈥檚 no projected return time for that area.

Fire officials in the city of Winston-Salem said the potential for an explosion had not gone down early Wednesday. Thousands of evacuated residents are still barred from going home.

An uncontrolled fire at a fertilizer plant in North Carolina forced thousands of people to evacuate as firefighters stood back Tuesday because of the danger of a large explosion.

The Edgecombe County Sheriff鈥檚 Office said in a Facebook post that 21-year-old Kevon Ricks has been identified as the worker who died. More than 300 employees were working at the 1.2 million-square-foot facility when the fire broke out early Saturday.

The fire was first reported Saturday evening in the area of the Three Bear Gully Trail. On Monday, the N.C. Forest Service announced a ban on all open burning.

Firefighters are working to put out a blaze in Pilot Mountain State Park that has burned more than 300 acres.