*UPDATE* FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO AMMONIA LEAK
An update to the Anhydrous Ammonia leak at Lineage Logistics located at 4124 24th Avenue. The incident was originally dispatched at 9:35pm on Sunday July 24th and several hours into the incident, Hazard Materials (HAZMAT) Technicians from from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue were able to stop the leak. Once that was done, crews worked on ventilating the large cold storage room. It took almost 35 hours to deem the affected room clear from hazardous ammonia levels.
During those 35 hours on scene, there were fire, HAZMAT and medical personnel continuously on scene. HAZMAT Technicians checked on air quality in the room at regular intervals. Fire crews were on scene to provide back up to the technicians as well as decontaminate them after exiting the building. Medical crews were on standby in case of a medical emergency or chemical exposure to the Technicians. At 1:30pm Tuesday July 26th, fire, HAZMAT and medical crews cleared the scene and control of the room was turned back over to facility personnel.
We would like to thank our partners with Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Metro West Ambulance during this prolonged incident.
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Original Press Release
At 9:35pm on Sunday July 24th, Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a reported chemical leak at Lineage Logistics located at 4124 24th Avenue. The business is a multi-building cold storage facility. While enroute, crews were made aware that an anhydrous ammonia leak had occurred in one of the large cold storage rooms (approximately 20,000 square feet). Crews arrived and made a safe zone around the facility. It was determined that the leak was contained to that room, but it was unknown how much of the chemical had leaked.
We requested a response from the Oregon Region 9 Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) Team from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. Incident commanders along facility managers and HAZMAT Technicians came up with several plans and contingencies to first stop the leak and then deem the area safe.
HAZMAT teams first used special sensors to test the air around the building. Once it was deemed safe, they were able to then make entry into a safe portion of the building to turn off all valves that supplied the affected area. With the valves turned off, HAZMAT Technicians wore highly protective suits and opened the doors to the room to ventilate the ammonia out. They opened the doors for a short time and then closed them, this was done to test the conditions in the room. Powerful ventilation fans were also used to help force the ammonia gas out of the building, to then dissipate into the atmosphere. The process of safely planning and performing the tasks took several hours.
At the time of release, 12 hours into the incident, a single fire crew, two HAZMAT teams and an ambulance are still on scene ventilating the room. They are taking hourly readings of the air until ammonia levels are safe for facility workers to enter. There is an extremely strong odor of ammonia in front of the business, but it is not hazardous. The odor is strong enough to cause burning sensation in eyes and nose. If this causes breathing problems with anyone in the area, we suggest they call 911 immediately.
During the incident we had a few employees at nearby businesses shelter in their buildings, but no local residents needed to evacuate. There were no injuries reported. The cause of the leak is unknown at this time. At this time 24th Avenue is still closed.
Forest Grove Fire & Rescue was assisted on scene by Cornelius Fire Department, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue, Banks Fire District, Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal, Metro West Ambulance, Forest Grove Police, Washington County Sheriffs Office, Forest Grove Public Works and Forest Grove Light & Power.
Incident Information:
Engines - 4
HAZMAT Units - 2
Chiefs - 4
Rehab - 1
Ambulances - 2
Total emergency personnel - 45
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