VIDEO: More than seven months after the Winston Weaver Fertilizer plant fire, city leaders have been discussing what they can do better if a similar situation ever arises. The fire chief and emergency services director identified one decision they'd like back.
Originally, there was debate about whether the evacuation of the potential blast radius would be mandatory. But in front of Winston-Salem City Council last night, fire Chief Trey Mayo said he'd like a do-over.
"In hindsight, Director August Vernon and I have both agreed, if we had to do it all over again, we would've done a mandatory evacuation and we would have declared a state of emergency," Mayo said.
Even without the benefit of hindsight, it was clear this was not an easy choice.