Thursday, July 23, 2015

Ammonia leak at Westover Dairy in Lynchburg, Virginia; no injuries reported

 



Hazmat teams work the scene of an ammonia leak at Westover Dairy on Fort Avenue late Wednesday afternoon. (Photo by Max Oden/The News & Advance)

Posted: Wednesday, July 22, 2015
 
An ammonia leak prompted the evacuation of Westover Dairy and closed a portion of Fort Avenue on Wednesday afternoon as first responders worked to dispel the toxic gas.

No one required medical treatment from the incident, Lynchburg Fire officials said.

The plant, at 2801 Fort Avenue, resumed operations a few hours later, said Allison McGee, a spokeswoman for The Kroger Company, which owns the dairy.

“The release of ammonia is thought to have been caused when a line was cut by contractors upgrading the refrigeration system,” she said in an email.

Hazardous materials team Capt. Russell Asycue said dispatchers received the call regarding the leak at about 2:54 p.m. The 60 employees were evacuated from the plant to the cemetery across the street.
Fort Avenue was closed between Wadsworth Street and Oakley Avenue during the incident.

HAZMAT teams from Westover Dairy and Lynchburg Fire Department worked to turn off the valves bookending the leak.

Asycue described the ammonia system used in the plant as similar to Freon inside a refrigerator. The liquid ammonia works as a coolant but once leaked, turns into a gas. Exposure to am-monia gas can cause coughing, chest pain, difficulty breathing, collapse and shock.

A ventilation system in the plant was used to evacuate the gas. Once air quality returned to a safe level inside and outside, employees were allowed to return — a little more than an hour after the leak was reported.

McGee said some employees went home at the end of their shift but no employee or contrac-tor needed medical attention.

Lynchburg’s HAZMAT team and fire department responded to the scene. Lynchburg Police were on scene to direct traffic.

The last reported ammonia leak at Westover Dairy was in June 2008.