FRESNO (KMJ) — An ammonia leak in Fresno has been plugged, after prompting a emergency response from Fresno Fire’s HAZMAT crew.
The gaseous release was reported just before 8am Wednesday morning, at the E and J Gallo Winery in Southeast Fresno.
“There are several, quite a number of large tanks of product that they have here that require refrigeration,” explains Deputy Chief Richard Cabral. “As we understand it there were maintenance workers, working on a liquid ammonia line.
“That ammonia line is used to refrigerate the product they have here at Gallo. They believed that the line was empty; they had done an evacuation type of procedure. Apparently there was still ammonia in that line and it was pressurized.”
Fresno Fire personnel went in and temporarily patched the line, later confirming that the leak had been mitigated.
“We have a report of a very small injury to a firefighter who was in on making the repair. Ammonia liquid is very caustic, and it’s also a cryogenic. So we understand that a very small amount was on his hand.”
That injury has been described as minor.
As work took place inside the facility, around 140 workers were forced to wait outside. Officials add that there was no danger to the public, but those within the area closed off may have been at risk.
Hear the report from KMJ’s Dominic McAndrew as it aired:
