(The Bismarck Tribune posted the following Associated Press article on its website on April 22.)
NORWICH, N.D. — A tank spilled several hundred gallons of anhydrous ammonia, forcing the evacuation of this small town and sending six people to the hospital.
Granville Fire Chief Jason Smette said Norwich’s 30 residents were told to leave as a precaution when the spill occurred about 2 p.m. Monday near the town’s grain elevator.
Smette said fire crews hosed the spill down with water and allowed residents to return by 5 p.m.
Two people remained hospitalized Monday night in the intensive care unit at Minot’s Trinity Hospital, about 15 miles west of Norwich, Smette said.
The spill happened as anhydrous ammonia was being transferred from a 1,000-gallon tank to smaller tanks, Smette said.
The chemical, which is used as farm fertilizer, is stored in a liquid form but turns into a toxic gas when it makes contact with the air. It can suffocate someone and cause deep burns.
Early last year, a train derailment west of Minot spilled 290,000 gallons of the anhydrous ammonia, sending a cloud of gas over the area that killed one person and injured hundreds.
In February, a cloud of ammonia leaked from a chemical plant in Mississippi, forcing tourists to evacuate eight hotels along the Gulf Coast.
The town of Newburg, near Minot, was evacuated after an ammonia leak in 1997.