Liquid nitrogen: What it’s used for and what can go wrong

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Liquid nitrogen: What it’s used for and what can go wrong

A tank marked Liquid Nitrogen sits outside Foundation Food Group along Memorial Park Drive. Hall County Fire Services and Gainesville Fire were called out to the plant around 10:12 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2021, to a report of burns at the plant where they discovered a large number of employees who had evacuated the building. - photo by Scott Rogers

01302021 PRIME 3.jpg — A tank marked Liquid Nitrogen sits outside Foundation Food Group along Memorial Park Drive. Hall County Fire Services and Gainesville Fire were called out to the plant around 10:12 a.m. on Jan. 28, 2021, to a report of burns at the plant where they discovered a large number of employees who had evacuated the building. - photo by Scott Rogers

The Times

Updated: Jan 30, 2021, 5:47 PM

Published: Jan 30, 2021, 12:21 AM

Refrigerants like liquid nitrogen, what leaked Jan. 28 at Gainesville’s Foundation Food Group, killing six, are frequently used in the processing plants found in the Poultry Capital of the World.

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What's up with grass fires on I-985 in Hall County? An expert explains

Gwinnett County firefighters are working on three grass fires between mile markers 2 and 5 along Interstate 985, the largest being roughly two to three acres. (Charles Hill Morris Jr.) (File photo)

12052019 FIRE 1.jpg — Gwinnett County firefighters are working on three grass fires between mile markers 2 and 5 along Interstate 985, the largest being roughly two to three acres. (Charles Hill Morris Jr.) (File photo)

Ben Anderson

The Times

Updated: Mar 13, 2025, 6:37 PM

Published: Mar 13, 2025, 5:42 PM

With multiple grass fires along Interstate 985 this year, including one on Tuesday that sent thick plumes of smoke across the roadway and halted traffic, you may be wondering what is causing these fires and whether they are more frequent than usual.

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