A tanker truck leaked dangerous ammonia gas in an Oklahoma hotel parking lot, prompting dozens of guests to be hospitalized, including 11 who were in critical condition
Anhydrous ammonia leaked from a tanker truck in the parking lot of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Weatherford, a small city about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City, around 10 p.m. Wednesday. About 500 people were evacuated to a shelter early Thursday, while others were ordered to remain inside their homes.
Thirty-six people were hospitalized, including 11 who were in critical condition, KOCO reported.
Officials lifted a shelter-in-place order Thursday morning after firefighters wearing gas masks went door-to-door waking people up and telling them to leave because of the fumes from the leak. Anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas that is used as a farm fertilizer to grow corn and wheat, but it can be deadly at high concentrations.
The tanker truck, which was carrying 25,000 pounds of ammonia, suffered a spill as a result of a leaking gasket. It was not immediately clear if all of the oil it was carrying had spilled.
The spill prompted local public schools to cancel classes on Thursday. The nearby Southwestern Oklahoma State University also canceled in-person classes, though online classes were unaffected.
In the aftermath, police are now urging residents to stay vigilant for any symptoms they may have after ammonia exposure.
“We are asking the public to watch each other,” Weatherford police Chief Angelo Orefice said. “If they’re having breathing problems, call 911 or go to the emergency room.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says symptoms of ammonia exposure include:
- Abdominal pain, nausea or vomiting
- Coughing or coughing up white or pink colored fluid
- Skin blisters, pain or redness
- Burning feeling in nose, throat, lungs and eyes
- Narrowing of the throat and swelling
- Permanent or temporary blindness
- Frostbite (if exposed to liquified ammonia)
Exposure to very high levels of ammonia can cause death, according to the CDC.
