Athena, Ore.-The accidental release of about 1,800 gallons of anhydrous ammonia at a Western Farm Service (WFS) facility in Athena, Ore., on Oct. 15 resulted in the temporary evacuation of school kids and some of the town’s 1,200 residents. The incident reportedly occurred when a nurse truck driver pulled away from an ammonia storage tank at the facility with a hose still attached, causing a valve to break. The release was reported immediately, and emergency personnel evacuated everyone in the direct path of the visible cloud by going door to door and closing part of Highway 11 into town. Students and faculty at Athena Elementary and Weston-McEwen High School were evacuated to neighboring Weston Middle School until emergency responders gave the all clear to return. Local reports said the leak was stopped and the cloud dissipated within two hours. The driver of the shuttle truck was reportedly treated at a Walla Walla, Wash., hospital for injuries sustained during the incident. Agrium Inc., which owns WFS, noted that the community was upset by the evacuation, and apologized for the incident. A much less serious ammonia leak was also recently reported at another Agrium-owned site in Farmersburg, Ind., which was a former Royster-Clark location. That incident was checked out by the local fire department. The company said there was no measurable loss of ammonia.
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