Multiple people needed emergency care in Oklahoma due to coming into contact with toxic vapors. Police officers discovered that a tanker truck was leaking ammonia gas. As a result, hundreds of residents faced evacuation orders. 

Tanker truck leaking ammonia gas spurs evacuations in Oklahoma 

Residents in Weatherford, Oklahoma, and emergency responders face health risks due to a leaking tanker truck in a Holiday Inn lot. Investigators determined that toxic ammonia gas filled the air as it escaped from a semi-truck. 

The driver of the truck parked at the hotel to rest for the evening. Then the gas began leaking due to a mechanical error on a valve or a faulty seal. 

Emergency responders immediately sprang into action as roughly 36 people were sent to a local hospital. About 10 people had to be transported to hospitals in Oklahoma City with serious injuries. 

As the leaking truck causes people in the immediate area to suffer respiratory distress, firefighters geared up for duty. They wore gas masks and went door to door to wake people up. They needed to evacuate the area. 

Nearly 600 people went to a shelter. Others face a shelter-in-place order inside their homes. Then some nursing homes were evacuated. Also, schools were closed. Police officers shared that ambulances were sent to collect immobile patients from their homes. 

According to News Talk KZRG, police officers shared that the clean up process could take several days. They’re working with environmental officials to dilute the Anhydrous ammonia. 

It’s used as a farm fertilizer. The colorless gas has a pungent, suffocating odor. It can be deadly as it damages the eyes, lungs, and skin.