Saturday, September 5, 2015

MISSING TANKER TRUCK CAP CAUSES LEAK OF ANYDROUS AMMONIA THAT SENDS ONE TRUCKER TO THE HOSPITAL IN OKLAHOMA




SEPTEMBER 4, 2015
By Cailey Dougherty

SAPULPA, Okla. —



Quick Facts:
  • Sapullpa fire responded to anhydrous ammonia leak near 49th West Avenue and West 61st Street Friday morning
  • Truck driver getting ready to get on his route noticed vapor cloud from the tanker
  • Investigators think someone took the cap from the tanker while he was gone, possibly to use the chemical to make meth
  • Man taken to the hospital for inhaling the chemical

Sapulpa fire fighters are investigating a chemical leak that hospitalized one man early Friday morning.

A truck driver was getting ready to start his route from a parking lot used by truck drivers when he noticed a chemical vapor coming from a truck.


He reported smelling a chemical and was sent to the hospital after feeling his chest tighten.

Sapulpa firefighters took precautions as they responded, stopping at a safe distance from the tanker.

They discovered the tanker was mostly empty. It had been carrying anhydrous ammonia, a gas commonly used in fertilizer. According to the Centers for Disease control, exposure to the gas can cause rapid dehydration.

There was enough left in the tanker to send the man to the hospital. The fire department discovered the cap on the tanker is missing, and Sapulpa police are investigating possible criminal activity.