Ammonia Leak In Randolph Sends 55 To Hospital
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- The Dakota County Sheriff's Office said 55 students were sent to the hospital after an ammonia leak near Randolph, Minn. on Wednesday.
Officers said the leak happened around 8 a.m. when a transfer of chemicals was being done between a semi and a holding facility and the line from the semi ruptured. The leak happened at the River Country Coop.
"Something ruptured. A conveyance device of some sort they helps with the transport of the material and that's when the cloud occurred," said Chief Deputy Tim Leslie with the Dakota County Sheriff's Office.
The rupture released a football field-sized cloud of anhydrous ammonia into the air.
Officers said they saw the cloud moving towards the town of Randolph, so they used the mass notification system to notify residents and anyone who lives within one mile.
"If you look over town, you can see a little bit of the cloud but it's moving so they're trying to keep track of it," said resident Kathy Endres.
Dakota County emergency preparedness coordinator David Gisch says about 400 residents were sent to a nearby fire station. Students from the school were sent to a church outside the city.
As they were evacuating, the direction of the chemical cloud changed and moved near some children while they were outside the school.
About 55 people were brought to four hospitals with complaints of respiratory distress, coughing, wheezing and burning sensations.
"It was really foggy. People's eyes and throats were burning," said 7th grader Mikayla Pearson who was checked out by doctors at a Hastings hospital. "Everyone was freaking out and stuff."
Dr. Aaron Burnett from Regions Hospital said patients were brought to Northfield Hospital, Regina Medical Center in Hastings, Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville, and Cannon Falls Medical Center.
Leslie said most were transported as a precaution and their injuries are minor. All have since been released from area hospitals.
Leslie said a safety area was set up at St. Mark's Lutheran Church and approximately 550 students were moved there. Crews at the co-op, where the leak happened, reported that the leak is under control.
The Minnesota State Fire Marshal's office is still analyzing the air quality. The Departments of Agriculture and Transportation are also involved in investigating the incident.
The school is closed for the rest of the day. Residents were allowed back into their homes around 1 p.m.
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WCCO-TV's James Schugel Reports
