MARCH 16, 2015
CHATTANOOGA, TN
Emergency personnel have returned for a third time to
Moccasin Bend and workers were evacuated from part of the waste treatment
plant, where a chlorine leak on Sunday was contained just in
time.
Seven emergency vehicles were seen at the Moccasin Bend
Wastewater Treatment Plant Monday afternoon surrounding one of the buildings,
and yellow caution tape was stretched across the road. Smoke poured from one of
the buildings as firefighters sprayed it down, causing a mushroom cloud of
steam to escape.
A reporter and a photojournalist both smelled an odor they
likened to a swimming pool filled with chlorine, but the fire department said
that their testing tools revealed no leaking chlorine gas.
The Chattanooga Fire Department said a so-called scrubber,
which is used to remove dangerous chemicals from the air before they escape
into the atmosphere, is on fire and is causing the smell. The scrubber has been
overheating since 4 a.m.
Spokesman Bruce Garner said plant personnel are
"puzzled" at the scrubber's overheating, which they believe to be
caused by a chemical reaction.
A worker exiting the plant warned a reporter to leave.
"I'm getting out of here," he said, warning a
guard at the gate to "get behind some bricks and glass."
The chlorine building houses a number of one-ton cylinders
of the toxic gas, which was used as a chemical weapon in World War I and was
used two days ago by Islamic State fighters in a suicide attack. It is also
used in heavy industry, pools and waste treatment, but some have moved away
from the chemical due to its toxic nature.
Though an entire cylinder leaked out on Sunday, any hazard
to residents was mitigated by scrubbing equipment — the same scrubbing
equipment that has been overheating and emitting smoke today.
Workers this afternoon were cleaning out the chlorine
scrubber that had overheated Monday morning when it overheated again and
appeared to catch on fire, according to reports at the scene.
The site was evacuated and workers called 911, summoning
firefighters a third time.
Earlier, Chattanooga Public Works reported that emergency
crews responded to "smoldering remains" from this morning's scrubber
meltdown.
After business hours, the fire department reported that
plant workers are contacting the manufacturer of the chemical scrubber to
determine why it is malfunctioning.
Moccasin Bend Sewage Treatment Plant sits just over two
miles from the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga's downtown district.
The chlorine leak on Sunday injured two employees, who were
transported to a local hospital for chlorine exposure.