Fresno — Hazmat and fire department responders were able to contain an ammonia leak that occurred at the Golden State Vintner southwest of Fresno. The incident started at around 5 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 11, and caused fire workers to evacuate 40 to 50 winery workers as well as alert residents within a one-mile radius after the ammonia leak was discovered. It was the second such incident in this wine-producing country in the past month. The Fresno Fire Department advised locals to shelter in place in their homes, close all windows, and turn off air conditioners. The leak created a large, vaporous cloud before firefighters applied a temporary patch to stop the leak around 12:30 p.m. that same day. Ammonia is used by the winery as a chilling agent, but no details were available on the amount that was released. “Workers were able to return to their duties at the winery by 4 p.m. that same day,” said Steve Roden, spokesman for Golden State Vintner. Roden told Green Markets that a flange gasket ruptured and that the company would install another fix that would take care of the situation permanently. Ten of the workers were treated for ammonia exposure on site while three others were transported to the local hospital for a check-over and released. One highway route was closed temporarily as the vapor cloud continued to travel east toward the Fresno Police Department Training Center located about a mile away. Firefighters evacuated the area before emergency crews used it as a staging area. Last month, an employee at another winery in Sanger died after being exposed to ammonia. The death is under investigation by Cal-OSHA.
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