Claresholm cancels state of emergency from ammonia leak at local food plant
Threat has passed, 'emergency situation has ended' after leak
The Town of Claresholm has cancelled the local chemical hazard alert that had the town on standby all afternoon, under threat of possible evacuation.
At 6:49 p.m., Alberta Emergency Alert sent out a notice cancelling the previous alert. The town had declared a local state of emergency and residents were being warned to prepare for possible evacuation after an ammonia leak.
The leak originated in a business at 1 Alberta Road, which houses El Molino Foods of Canada Ltd.
Chemical Hazard Alert Aug22 126PM Take necessary precautions. Claresholm <a href="https://t.co/L8ht6OCtPQ">https://t.co/L8ht6OCtPQ</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABhazmat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ABhazmat</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ABemerg?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ABemerg</a>
—@AB_EmergAlertI'm at Claresholm, about an hour and a half away from Calgary, where a local food importer (circled) had an ammonia leak. As a precaution the town declared a state of emergency. Around 6 nearby businesses in a 400m radius were evacuated. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/yyc?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#yyc</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BTCityNewsCGY?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BTCityNewsCGY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/660NEWS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@660NEWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/9Of94au8mp">pic.twitter.com/9Of94au8mp</a>
—@StaySaifThe Town of Claresholm reports that someone at El Monlino Foods called 911 at 12:45 p.m. to report the leak in the building, which is in a primarily commercial area. Shortly after 2 p.m., the town declared a state of emergency, warning residents to prepare for possible evacuation.
The Claresholm Fire Department evacuated all staff from the building and created an isolation zone. The Hazmat team came in from the Lethbridge Fire Department, and several businesses in the area were evacuated.
Ammonia is often used in refrigeration units but is highly flammable and toxic if leaked. Exposure to gaseous ammonia damages the lungs and can result in death.
El Molino Foods moved into the 40,000-square-foot production facility in 2009. The company manufactures El Molino tortilla chips and other Mexican and Italian foods, and the facility also houses Bear Creek Foods, Del Comal Foods and Mamma Mia brands. Bear Creek Foods supplies "value-added frozen food products," according to the El Molino website.
Claresholm is about 130 kilometres south of Calgary.