Ammonia leak contained
Emergency personnel responded to a report of late-night ammonia leak at a local business Monday.
According to a Marshalltown Fire Department press release, shortly after 10:30 p.m. Monday, the Marshalltown Fire Department responded to Crystal Distribution Services, 816 Union St., for a report of an ammonia leak in the facility. Upon arrival, fire department personnel were advised the ammonia leak was located in the basement of the facility. The affected building was evacuated prior to the arrival of the fire department, as well as a portion of the JBS Swift Plant located adjacent to and downwind from Crystal Distribution.
MFD Deputy Chief Christopher Cross said the ammonia leak was located at a valve of a compressor unit. Hazardous Materials technicians from Crystal Distribution’s home office in Waterloo, as well as technicians from JBS Swift made entry to the space using encapsulating suits, breathing apparatus and air monitoring equipment to stop the flow of ammonia to the building. MFD personnel provided safety stand by and incident management to the hazardous materials teams.
Cross said the exact quantity of ammonia released is unknown, adding there is no known ongoing environmental impact as a result of the release.
Seven Marshalltown Firefighters and two chief officers responded to the incident; they were on the scene until 2:12 a.m. Tuesday, Cross said.
No injuries were reported and no residential locations in the area were required to be evacuated.