Chemical gas leak from Milk Specialties Global factory forces evacuation of plant, neighborhood in Fond du Lac
FOND DU LAC – The city's hazardous materials crew worked for over five hours Thursday to stop a chemical leak at the Milk Specialties Global factory that forced the evacuation of the plant and the neighborhood.
Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue announced Thursday evening that they safely plugged the leak with no injuries.
The incident started at 11:38 a.m. when fire crews responded to a report of a gas plume emitting a cloud with a yellow hue into the air from the factory, located at 325 Tompkins St., according to Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue.
The building, filled with 90 to 100 employees, was evacuated.
At 3 p.m. Thursday, Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue Chief Peter O'Leary said two hazardous materials crews entered different parts of the building to try to locate and stop the source, with a third team preparing to go in.
"Their hazmat suits are actually able to shoot and show video back to the outside to help, so the people from Milk Specialties are able to provide them some information about what they're seeing and where they think they should go to get the leak stopped," O'Leary said.
The fire department said that while the exact concentration and type of gas is unknown, it is believed to contain chlorine.
As of 3 p.m., O'Leary said the gas started to dissipate and was "not nearly what it was earlier." However, an active leak remained inside the building, and measuring the quantity of gas continuing to release into air has been difficult with the overcast, rainy weather, he said.
At 4:30 p.m., Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue posted on Facebook that hazmat crews "have made several entries into the building and continue to work on mitigation efforts. The plume has greatly dissipated but there is still a leak."
Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue shared updates about the hazardous materials situation as it unfolded on Facebook and Twitter. The department shared a map for a mandatory evacuation area around the factory, which included areas south of Ruggles Street, north of Grove Street and east of South Hickory Street.
Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue has since given the all-clear for people to return to the mapped area.
"We understand that today’s event disrupted many people’s daily routines and (halted) railway traffic for several hours," O'Leary said in a statement. "Safety always has to outweigh the inconveniences these types of event place on us all. We appreciate everyone’s cooperation and understanding."
The cause of the leak remains unknown. O'Leary said an investigation will occur in the coming days.
The Fond du Lac Police Department and City Public Works assisted Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue during the incident.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at 920-213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Fond du Lac Reporter: Milk Specialties Global evacuates factory after chemical gas leak
