An ammonia leak on June 19 at a cold storage facility in Navotas City, Philippines, claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl and sent at least 24 other individuals to area hospitals, according to local news reports. A fire also broke out at the facility shortly after the leak was reported.
The temporary closure of Icy Point Cold Storage was ordered by the local government pending an investigation into the cause of the leak and fire by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), the City Health Office, Sanidad, City Environment and Natural Resources Office, and Business Permits and Licensing Office, the Navotas local government said.
The leak was reported before midnight by employees who evacuated the area after smelling ammonia. The BFP responded to close the valve and control the leak, but an explosion and fire shortly thereafter brought 15 fire trucks to the site, GMA Integrated News reported. The BFP declared the fire out by 2 a.m. on June 20.