Ammonia leak forces evacuations in Corbin

An anhydrous ammonia leak at the Corbin Ice Plant early Tuesday evening caused the evacuation of nearly everyone within a half-mile area of the plant.

“Right now we are trying to evacuate within a half mile radius of the ice plant,” Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses said about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. “We are just waiting to see which way this cloud goes.”

Moses said crews with the Area 11 Haz Mat Team out of London had been notified, and would be the ones going in to examine the spill in order to see how severe it is.

“We have those guys coming in. They can dress to go into almost anything that is going to be a big plus right there,” Moses said. “As far as I know, no one has been able to get in there yet,” Moses said.

Jerry Rains, Area 11 Manager for Kentucky Emergency Management Agency, described the leak about 8 p.m. as a “substantial leak.”

“The entry team has just come back and they were debriefing,” Rains said. “It was still leaking when they went in there. Hopefully, they have shut it off by shutting the valves off, but I don’t know if it is a tank that has a hole in it or a line that has a hole in it. We do know its anhydrous ammonia and it is there at the ice plant.”

Exposure to ammonia is extremely irritating to eyes, nose, throat, lungs, skin and mucous membranes. Exposure to high levels of ammonia can cause dizziness and central nervous system symptoms, chemical burns and death.
Liquid ammonia has a boiling point of minus 28 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, it can cause freezing burns or frostbite very quickly, according to Wikipedia.

Rains said the ice plant employee, who went into the plant, has or would go through decontamination because he had anhydrous ammonia all over him.

“We’ve had some firefighters and a policeman with signs and symptoms associated with anhydrous exposure. They have not been transported yet. They are just rehabbing here at the scene.” Rains said.
Rains said that he’s not sure how long it will take to get the scene cleaned up, but that it would take a matter of hours rather than days.

“The problem with anhydrous is everything in the room pipes and valve wise are frozen now because that stuff is so cold. We are going to have to make sure we have it all stopped and contained and it has dissipated before we clear,” Rains said. “It would dissipate quicker if it were hot and windy. With it being cold and night time, it kind of wants to lay low.”

Rains said that he’s not sure how many people went to the hospital for treatment of possible exposure, but that number usually increases as word about the leak spreads on television, radio and newspapers even though some getting checked out might not even be in the contamination area.

“We have deconned the entry team and we are going to decon the employee from the ice plant. As far as other people, unless they have come in direct contact with it and had it running off them, then there is really no need for them to be deconned,” Rains noted.

Initially, fears about people being contaminated with anhydrous ammonia caused Baptist Regional Medical Center to close to everything but patients in full arrest, and hospital officials at one point were requiring people going there to go through decontamination procedures before going there, according to radio traffic.

Emergency crews set up a decontamination center at Sav-a-lot for people in route to Baptist Regional Medical Center.
“Anyone going to the hospital must be deconned before going to the hospital,” Whitley County 911 Dispatchers told emergency workers.

The hospital reopened to other non-essential patients shortly after 8 p.m. apparently according to radio traffic.
Rains said a team was sent to the hospital to update them on what was happening once the haz mat team had returned.

The leak caused the evacuation of Corbin High School where the Cumberland Falls Invitation Tournament was scheduled to be held Tuesday evening. The games have been rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday night according to tournament officials.

Heritage Nursing Home, Corbin Nursing Home and Baptist Regional Medical Center were also notified to close doors and windows and monitor the situation. Moses said.

Whitley County EMS and units from Knox and Laurel counties were also called in to evacuate residents, who were unable to leave under their own power.

An emergency evacuation center was set up at the Corbin Civic Center off Gordon Hill, the Corbin Recreation Center, Immanuel Baptist Church, and at Oak Grove Elementary School was also set up as an evacuation center.
Moses said the Whitley County Coroner’s Office was bringing cots for use during the emergency.
Initial reports indicated that an area one and one-half miles around the ice plant was being evacuated, but those proved incorrect.

Agencies assisting at the scene included: Corbin Police Department, Corbin Fire Department, Whitley County EMS, Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr., Whitley County Sheriff’s Department, Kentucky Office of Emergency Management, Woodbine Volunteer Fire Department, Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Department, Area 11 Haz Mat Team out of London, Emergency Management Directors from Knox and Laurel Counties, and hazardous material teams from Somerset, the Kentucky Fire Marshal’s Office hazardous material team and Kentucky Environmental and Protection Cabinet officials.

“So far we have done well and all organizations have worked well together,” Moses noted.

Ammonia facts
People, who work near this chemical, particularly if it is under pressure, are at risk of serious injury if a release occurs, according to Wikipedia.

Liquid anhydrous ammonia expands 850 times when released to ambient air and can form large vapor clouds. These clouds are normally lighter than air and will rise. However, liquid anhydrous ammonia may also form an aerosol, which means that some of it may form small liquid droplets. As an aerosol, the droplets of ammonia are heavy and sink toward the ground. Anhydrous ammonia may also cause water vapor to condense in the air forming a visible white cloud. Therefore, when anhydrous ammonia is released to the air, it may rise and disperse as a gas or it may be heavy and travel along the ground as an aerosol or because it has trapped water vapor. In either case, the cloud may remain low instead of rising into the air. This behavior may increase the risk of exposure and injury for workers and the public. Being aware that ammonia may persist near the ground may help prevent injury in future ammonia releases.

Although pure ammonia vapors are not flammable at concentrations of less than 16%, it may explode or catch fire at concentrations between 16 and 25%.

Ammonia contaminated with lubricating oil from a system, however, may catch fire or explode at concentrations as low as 8%. Ammonia cooling systems such as those for foods or ice rinks may be at risk due to oil contamination.
Anhydrous ammonia is a key ingredient in the illegal production of amphetamines. Illegal drug makers may steal ammonia from areas where it is stored and used. When stolen, the toxic gas may be released accidentally in unexpected locations, and may injure law enforcement personnel, emergency responders and the public, particularly because the location is unexpected.