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Shelter-In-Place Lifted After Weatherford Ammonia Tanker Leak That Hospitalized Dozens

Investigators cite a likely valve or gasket failure, with EPA-led air testing and cleanup underway.

Overview

  • Authorities say 36 people were hospitalized, including 11 in serious to critical condition, and four were flown to Oklahoma City for treatment.
  • The leak began around 10 p.m. Wednesday from a tanker parked behind the Holiday Inn Express, and responders later confirmed the truck was no longer actively releasing gas.
  • Roughly 500 to 600 residents took shelter at Southwestern Oklahoma State University as others sheltered indoors before the all-clear was issued Thursday morning.
  • The tanker carried about 25,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, and runoff from suppression efforts entered a storm drain and affected a nearby creek, according to the EPA.
  • Multiple agencies, including hazmat teams and the Oklahoma National Guard’s 63rd Civil Support Team, responded; Weatherford police reported officer exposures, and officials expect cleanup to take days.