AMMONIA LEAK FROM WINDSOR FOODS IN LAMPASAS, TEXAS. DOWNTOWN WAS EVACUATED.
UPDATE: Lampasas downtown reopened after ammonia leak
Posted: Dec 06, 2014 4:22 PM EST
UPDATE: The evacuation of the Lampasas downtown area has been
lifted after ammonia leaked from a local plant.
No injuries have been reported in the leak that caused the
evacuation of the downtown and surrounding downtown area. The city says someone
reported a smell of ammonia around 2:00 Saturday afternoon near the Windsor
Foods. Minutes later, fire personnel brought its haz mat trailer and
determined, according to pre-established protocols, they needed to evacuated
the area.
So they closed off the area from E. Second to E. Fourth, and
from Western Street to Hackberry Street. Police asked people to stay away from
the area as they worked the scene.
Around 3:00 p.m. crews isolated the leak and continued to
monitor air, and bled off any residual ammonia that may have remained in the
piping. The city lifted the evacuation around 4:20 p.m.
The cause of the leak has not been determined. The city says
they train with Windsor Foods Emergency Personnel and Hazmat teams on a regular
basis for such an emergency. Windsor Foods uses ammonia for cooling and
refrigeration. Exposure to ammonia may cause some temporary irritation.
