Hazmat situation at Fremont ice factory forces shelter-in-place order

Raw video: Hazmat crew shuts off gas release from Fremont ice factory

People in a Fremont neighborhood were told to shelter in place late Friday morning because of a hazardous materials incident at an industrial ice factory, authorities said.

Fremont Police said the shelter-in-place was issued at 11:45 a.m. for the area of S. Grimmer Boulevard and Auto Mall Parkway, and west of Fremont Boulevard. 

The incident occurred at Arctic Glacier Premium Ice on the 43000 block of Fremont Boulevard. Workers from the plant were evacuated during the incident, according to the Fremont Fire Department. 

A crew in hazmat suits was seen shutting off a valve where a white vapor cloud was escaping from a cooling tower or condenser unit outside of the plant. The plume stopped emanating from the unit once the valve was closed.

A firefighter in a hazmat suit closes a valve on a mechanical unit outside the Arctic Glacier Premium Ice plant in Fremont, Jan. 5, 2024. KPIX

There was no immediate word on what was leaking from the plant. After the vapor cloud was stopped, the hazmat crew was seen inspecting a tank of anhydrous ammonia, which is stored as a liquid under pressure but becomes a toxic gas when released into the environment.

The fire department said the shelter-in-place was lifted at 1:00 pm. There were no injuries reported.

This is a breaking news update. More information to be added as available.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.