JUNE 15, 2015
The Farmington Hills Ice Arena was closed for about three hours Sunday afternoon as firefighters and a HAZMAT team investigated a potentially dangerous chemical leak.
According to Farmington Hills Fire Department Lt. Jamie Neufeld, a power outage and eventual surge that impacted the the area of M-5 and Drake Road likely caused the relief valve on the anhydrous ammonia to vent and thus triggered an alarm.
Neufeld said the arena, which had about 30-40 people inside, was evacuated immediately as anhydrous ammonia is dangerous to breathe. The chemical is often used by farmers as fertilizer and by the ice arena to keep the surface cold.
“When our first units got there, they went toward the tank and heard hissing,” Neufeld said. “The relief value did operate properly and there might have been a small release, but we are always going to be a little more on the safe side because it’s an extremely hazardous substance.”
The people inside the arena were sheltered at a nearby church and apartment complex while the Western Wayne County Hazardous Materials Response Team investigated the incident and reopened the building about three hours later.
Neufeld said no one inside the building could smell the chemical, but a loud boom and hissing sound is what got everyone’s attention.
The arena reopened around 7 p.m.