Bloomfield, Iowa — The quick response by a hazardous materials team prevented the spread of anhydrous ammonia leaking from a tank here on May 19. The tank, carrying 150 gallons, came off a truck on a busy highway and rolled into a ditch. Davis County Sheriff Dave Davis said when it rolled off it snapped the safety chain and smashed the metal shield over the relief valve. Ottumwa County Hazmat sent in a team in protective suits and breathing apparatus to cap it off in less than an hour. Davis estimated that at least half of the tank’s contents escaped. “Fortunately there was only one home nearby and the residents weren’t there,” said Davis. “A lumber yard a half-mile to the west could tell we were definitely having a problem, because they were getting drift.”
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