(The following report by Patrick Burns appeared at LancasterOnline.com on August 2.)
LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — A chemical leak Wednesday brought hazmat teams and firefighters to a railway tanker car along Harrisburg Pike east of Long’s Park.
Workers at Norfolk Southern switching station called authorities about 6:30 p.m. after detecting what smelled like lighter fluid.
Lancaster City Fire Chief Tim Gregg said the odor was a chemical called pentane that filled a 30,000-gallon tanker car at the switching station, which is part of Norfolk Southern’s Dillerville Road rail yard.
Pentane, a petroleum product used chiefly as a solvent and anesthetic, did not leak on the ground.
The smell came from fumes escaping from a broken gasket on the top of the car, Gregg said.
Though the leak posed a serious threat, no one was injured by the fumes, Gregg said. He said firefighters and the Hazmat team feared the chemical would vaporize, spread and ignite.
“In a hazmat incident, you take a defensive stand until you find out what you have and make sure you have plenty of resources here,” Gregg said.
About 50 emergency service workers, including members of the Lancaster County Hazmat team, responded.