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Clinton, Sampson County

Sampson County: Homes evacuated after tanker fire on U.S. 421, sheriff says

A 9:05 a.m. county alert tells people to leave U.S. 421 near Bestwood Lane. WRAL and CBS 17 quote Sheriff Jimmy Thornton on a half-mile ring.

DevelopingOfficials are still releasing information. We update this story as facts are confirmed.

By Triangle Local Staff · Published

The Sampson County Courthouse in Clinton

File photo: Nyttend (public domain), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • Sampson County Emergency Services issued a Hazardous Materials Warning at 9:05 a.m. EST Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, for a hazardous-materials emergency on U.S. Highway 421 near Bestwood Lane.Confirmed by Sampson County Emergency Services alert, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh (sent 9:05:37 a.m. EST)
  • That alert told residents, motorists, and anyone in the affected area to evacuate immediately, move away from the incident, follow law enforcement and emergency personnel, stay away from the scene, and avoid U.S. 421 near Bestwood Lane until further notice.Confirmed by Sampson County Emergency Services alert, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh
  • The National Weather Service record lists the warning for Sampson County, North Carolina, as actual, severe, observed, and immediate. It is set to expire at 1:05 p.m. EST. The short wireless text says to evacuate because of a hazmat emergency on U.S. 421 at Bestwood Lane.Confirmed by Sampson County Emergency Services alert, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh
  • The official alert does not name a tanker, a cargo, a crash, Clinton, Rose Hill, injuries, or a half-mile evacuation ring.Confirmed by Sampson County Emergency Services alert, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh
  • WRAL, datePublished 15:04:10 UTC / 10:04 a.m. ET, independently wrote that residents within a half-mile of U.S. 421 at Bestwood Lane, near Clinton, were being evacuated after a tanker truck fire.Confirmed by WRAL only (datePublished 2026-11-01T15:04:10+00:00)
  • WRAL wrote that Sampson County Emergency Services had declared the fire a hazmat emergency and that it was unclear what materials the truck was carrying.Confirmed by WRAL only (datePublished 2026-11-01T15:04:10+00:00)
  • WRAL quoted Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton in a news release: "As a safety precaution, deputies are evacuating all homes within a half-mile radius of the incident."Confirmed by Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, as reported by WRAL
  • CBS 17, posted 9:28:29 a.m. ET and modified 9:57:10 a.m. ET, independently wrote that emergency and hazmat crews were evacuating residents Sunday morning after a truck hauling a tanker caught fire and was billowing smoke, according to photos and county officials.Confirmed by CBS 17 only (posted Nov. 1, 2026, 9:28:29 a.m. ET)
  • CBS 17, citing an 8:20 a.m. Sampson County Sheriff's Office news release, placed the incident along U.S. 421 in the Rose Hill community about 15 miles south of Clinton.Confirmed by Sampson County Sheriff's Office 8:20 a.m. news release, as reported by CBS 17
  • CBS 17 used the same Thornton half-mile quotation that WRAL printed.Confirmed by Sampson County Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, as reported by CBS 17
  • The station wrote that a large 18-wheeler tanker caught fire after a crash with another vehicle near 10196 Taylors Bridge Highway / U.S. 421, just north of Union Elementary School and the Delway community, attributing that sentence to officials and a witness.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing officials and a witness
  • A witness told CBS 17 the truck caught fire around 7:40 a.m. and was still burning as of 9:30 a.m. Katelyn Chestnut, who said she had been evacuated, told the station massive smoke clouds could be seen for miles.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing a witness and Katelyn Chestnut
  • CBS 17 wrote that a Fayetteville Fire Department hazmat team was at the scene, that the sheriff's office and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol were there with local fire departments, and that Thornton said those agencies were present. The station listed Taylors Bridge, Harrells, Rose Hill, and Clinton fire departments.Confirmed by CBS 17 only, citing Sheriff Thornton for the sheriff's office, Highway Patrol, and local fire presence
  • CBS 17 wrote there were reports that the tanker contained methanol. The official alert does not name a cargo. WRAL wrote the cargo was unclear.Confirmed by CBS 17 only for the methanol reports; comparison with the official alert and WRAL

Still unknown

  • Whether anyone was hurt
  • What the tanker was carrying. CBS 17 wrote there were methanol reports. WRAL wrote the cargo was unclear. The official alert names no cargo.
  • Whether the fire is out
  • A DriveNC or Highway Patrol road notice we can read ourselves
  • A sheriff or Emergency Services release we can read on a county page of our own
  • How Clinton, Rose Hill, Bestwood Lane, and 10196 Taylors Bridge Highway line up as one scene

What this means for you

Roads
The county alert says to avoid U.S. 421 near Bestwood Lane until further notice. We have not read a DriveNC event. Check drivenc.gov or 511 before you travel. This site is not NCDOT.
Public safety
The official message is to evacuate the affected area and follow crews on scene. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Sampson County Emergency Services alert, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh; Sheriff Jimmy Thornton as reported by WRAL and CBS 17

This site is not Sampson County Emergency Services, the Sampson County Sheriff's Office, or the North Carolina State Highway Patrol. For the written alert, use the National Weather Service record. If anyone is in danger, call 911. This site is not an emergency service.

What happened

In Sampson County, Emergency Services issued a Sunday-morning hazardous-materials warning for U.S. 421 near Bestwood Lane and told people in the affected area to leave at once.

The National Weather Service Raleigh copy of that message, sent at 9:05 a.m., said residents and drivers should move away, follow crews on scene, and stay off that stretch until further notice. The warning is set to expire at 1:05 p.m.

WRAL, with a 10:04 a.m. Eastern stamp (15:04 UTC), wrote that a tanker truck was on fire. The station said Emergency Services had called it a hazmat emergency, placed the scene at Bestwood Lane near Clinton, and said it was not clear what the truck carried.

A release quoted there from Sheriff Jimmy Thornton said deputies were clearing every home within a half-mile as a safety step.

CBS 17, posted at 9:28 a.m. and revised at 9:57 a.m., independently cited an 8:20 a.m. sheriff's office notice and carried the same Thornton line. That page put the work along U.S. 421 in the Rose Hill area, about 15 miles south of Clinton.

On that page, a large 18-wheeler tanker caught fire after a crash with another vehicle near 10196 Taylors Bridge Highway, just north of Union Elementary School and the Delway community. CBS 17 attributed that sentence to officials and a witness.

A person who spoke to that newsroom said the truck ignited around 7:40 a.m. and was still burning at 9:30 a.m. Katelyn Chestnut, who said she had been moved out, described heavy smoke that could be seen for miles.

CBS 17 added that a Fayetteville Fire Department hazmat unit was there and that the Highway Patrol was working with local departments. It listed Taylors Bridge, Harrells, Rose Hill, and Clinton fire units. The station also wrote there were reports the tanker held methanol. The county message does not name a cargo.

This site is not Sampson County Emergency Services, the sheriff's office, or the Highway Patrol. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What we don't know yet

Whether anyone was hurt. What the tanker carried. Whether the road is open. A signed release on a sheriff or Emergency Services page of our own.

What happens next

Watch for a county or patrol write-up that names the cargo, reports injuries if any, or says the highway is open.

Photos

Text-only. No WRAL, CBS 17, or witness photos are used here.

Why it matters

People along U.S. 421 in southern Sampson County need the official leave-now line, the half-mile ring two newsrooms attribute to the sheriff, and that the cargo is still unconfirmed.

Updates

  1. Nov 1, 2026, 10:08 AM

    Sampson County Emergency Services issued a 9:05 a.m. hazmat warning for U.S. 421 near Bestwood Lane. WRAL and CBS 17, quoting Sheriff Jimmy Thornton, write that deputies are clearing homes within a half-mile after a tanker fire.

Sources

  1. Sampson County Emergency Services Hazmat Emergency (National Weather Service alert id 202042.ecf867948d317fe0d177cae55a7d96; sender Sampson County Emergency Services, relayed by NWS Raleigh; sent 9:05:37 a.m. EST Nov. 1, 2026; expires 1:05:37 p.m. EST; Hazardous Materials Warning; area Sampson, NC; status Actual; severity Severe; certainty Observed; urgency Immediate: hazardous materials emergency on US Highway 421 near Bestwood Lane; residents, motorists, and anyone in the affected area instructed to evacuate immediately; move away and follow law enforcement and emergency personnel; do not approach the scene or travel through the affected area; avoid US 421 near Bestwood Lane until further notice. Wireless short text: Evacuate the area. Hazmat emergency on US421 at Bestwood Ln. Updates will be provided soon. Does not name a tanker, a cargo, a crash, Clinton, Rose Hill, injuries, or a half-mile ring. Text-only.)

    Official sourcePublished by Sampson County Emergency Services, relayed by National Weather Service Raleigh · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 10:05 AM

  2. Sampson County hazmat team evacuate homes after tanker fire on US 421 (WRAL staff, datePublished 2026-11-01T15:04:10+00:00 / 10:04 a.m. ET; dateModified the same stamp; page display 11/1/2026, 3:04:10 p.m.: residents within a half-mile radius of US 421 at Bestwood Lane, near Clinton, being evacuated after a tanker truck fire; Sampson County Emergency Services declared the fire a hazmat emergency; unclear what materials the truck was carrying; Sheriff Jimmy Thornton in a news release said deputies are evacuating all homes within a half-mile radius as a safety precaution. Did not print Rose Hill, 15 miles south of Clinton, 8:20 a.m., 10196 Taylors Bridge Highway, Union Elementary, Delway, a crash with another vehicle, 7:40 a.m., 9:30 a.m., methanol, Fayetteville hazmat, Highway Patrol, or named fire departments. Text-only; no WRAL photos used.)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 10:05 AM

  3. Fire, hazmat crews evacuate Sampson County residents amid massive tanker fire on US 421 in Rose Hill community (CBS 17 / WNCN, posted Nov. 1, 2026, 9:28:29 a.m. ET, last_modified 9:57:10 a.m. ET; date_gmt 14:28:29; homepage title 'Hazmat crews evacuate Sampson Co. areas amid tanker fire': CLINTON dateline; emergency and hazmat crews evacuating residents Sunday morning after a truck hauling a tanker caught fire and was billowing smoke, according to photos and county officials; 8:20 a.m. Sampson County Sheriff's Office news release placed it along U.S. 421 in the Rose Hill community about 15 miles south of Clinton; large 18-wheeler tanker caught fire after a crash with another vehicle near 10196 Taylors Bridge Highway/U.S. 421, just north of Union Elementary School and the Delway community, officials and a witness said; a witness said the truck caught fire around 7:40 a.m. and was still burning as of 9:30 a.m.; Katelyn Chestnut, who had been evacuated, said massive smoke clouds could be seen for miles; Sheriff Jimmy Thornton half-mile quotation; Fayetteville Fire Department hazmat team at the scene; reports the tanker contained methanol; sheriff's office and Highway Patrol on scene with local fire departments, Thornton said; Taylors Bridge, Harrells, Rose Hill, and Clinton fire departments listed. Read via the station's public WordPress JSON because the HTML page returned 403 here. Text-only; no CBS 17 or Chestnut photos used.)

    Published by CBS 17 (WNCN) · Checked Nov 1, 2026, 10:06 AM

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