An early morning ammonia leak on Dec. 1 at CF Industries Holdings Inc.’s Donaldsonville, La., nitrogen complex caused the evacuation of the nearby Donaldsonville Primary School to another school a few miles away, according to The Advocate, which also reported road closures and shelter-in-place warnings.
CF said in a statement that at approximately 6:30 a.m. on Thursday, Dec. 1, the facility experienced an ammonia release in an ammonia storage loading area onsite. A flange on an ammonia storage tank failed, according to the paper, citing a source with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.
CF said work to contain the release began immediately and the release was fully halted at approximately 11:40 a.m. No injuries were reported related to the incident.
CF said local officials lifted the precautionary shelter-in-place order for those who were at Donaldsonville Primary School. Air monitoring by CF personnel did not detect any levels of ammonia at the school during the incident. Roads surrounding the facility were reopened.
“Our primary focus is always on the safety of our employees, our neighbors, and the environment,” said Morris Johnson, General Manager, Donaldsonville Complex. “CF Industries will continue to work with local officials to provide any additional updates on the incident as warranted.”
CF said all appropriate local emergency response and government officials were notified of the incident. An investigation will be conducted by the company in cooperation with appropriate authorities.