A leaking tanker truck spewed hazardous gas into the air in Weatherford, Oklahoma, late Wednesday night, forcing hundreds of residents to flee their homes and sending several dozen people to hospitals, authorities said.
According to The Associated Press, the incident began just before 10 p.m. when a truck carrying anhydrous ammonia started leaking in the parking lot of a Holiday Inn, Police Chief Angelo Orefice said Thursday.
The driver had parked the truck there to spend the night at the hotel.
City officials said people nearby quickly began experiencing respiratory distress. “Most patients were taken to a nearby hospital, but some, including four in critical condition, were taken to other hospitals for further treatment,” Orefice said.
By early Thursday morning, between 500 and 600 residents were housed in emergency shelters. Others were ordered to shelter in place until the all-clear was given later in the morning.
Several nursing homes were evacuated, and schools across Weatherford were closed for the day.
“We pretty much got a lot of this stuff diluted right now,” Orefice said, adding that environmental officials were on-site and cleanup efforts could take several days.
Evacuated residents described a chaotic scene. “It was a little crazy to wake up to,” said Krystal Blackwell, who was rushed out of her home by emergency crews wearing gas masks. “I really thought it was a kind of dream.”
Hazmat teams and an Oklahoma National Guard emergency response unit worked through the night to contain the gas and monitor air quality. Officials said the leak had been stopped and the air was safe by Thursday morning.
Orefice said the likely cause was a mechanical failure involving a valve or seal on the tanker.
Airgas, the Pennsylvania-based company that owns the truck, said it was cooperating fully with local authorities.
“Anhydrous ammonia warrants cautious handling and management,” the company said in a statement, urging residents to follow safety instructions from officials.
Anhydrous ammonia, commonly used as an agricultural fertilizer, can cause severe burns and breathing problems upon contact or inhalation.
Weatherford, a city of roughly 12,000 people located about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City, is now dealing with the aftermath of what officials called one of its most serious chemical emergencies in years.
