Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Ammonia Leak Forces Evacuation

Incident Date: 9/7/11
Issuing Officer: Joe Meinecke
Incident Location: 8220 Pacific Hwy E
Incident Type: Hazardous Materials

Narrative:  At 6:46 a.m. 7 units of Tacoma firefighters (three engines, one ladder, one medic unit, haz-mat 44, and command staff) responded to a reported ammonia leak at a fuel and ice distribution business.

Hazardous materials technicians made entry into the building and confirmed that a leaking pipe caused a minor Ammonia release.  Air monitoring equipment indicated elevated levels of Ammonia vapors in the building representing a significant respiratory risk.

Operationally, the leak was located and stopped, the occupants of the source business, one adjacent business and four nearby houses were evacuated for precautionary measures.   Firefighters are currently conducting a methodical process of ventilating the building and monitoring the air quality to mitigate the hazard.

There were no injuries to report.