NORTH ATTLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - Emergency crews brought seven people to area hospitals Tuesday after workers in a North Attleboro industrial building accidentally cut a line to a large ammonia tank, causing a leak.
North Attleboro Fire Chief Chris Coleman said the incident happened near 10 a.m. in the area of Larson Way. As of around 12 p.m., Coleman said six workers suffered minor injuries. One worker was in critical condition.
Coleman told reporters the workers in the building had been doing work around the ammonia line when they accidentally cut it. Though the roughly 2,000 gallon tank was no longer in use, Coleman said it was full of ammonia.
Coleman said workers evacuated the building while ammonia started spreading. Firefighters responded and soon called in a state hazardous materials team to support their efforts.
By 12 p.m., Coleman said hazmat crews were preparing to enter the building to determine the amount of ammonia inside.
Though emergency crews evacuated one nearby business as a precaution, Coleman said the ammonia was contained to the industrial building itself and there was no threat to the public.
SKY7-HD spotted a notable emergency response near 11:30 a.m., with crews gathered along Larson Way.
With the hazmat team set to enter the building, Coleman said firefighters were setting up decontamination stations to help crews clean off.
Ammonia can be deadly. It primarily injures people who inhale it as a gas, but can also cause burns in its liquid form, according to Coleman.
While authorities were initially told the ammonia in this incident was in its gaseous form, Coleman said crews later learned it may have been liquid when it injured workers.
“We’re in the very beginning stages of what’s going to be a very elongated operation,” Coleman said.
This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.
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