(The following story by Maggie O’Brien and Andrew J. Nelson appeared on the Omaha World-Herald website on May 29.)
OMAHA, Neb. — Omaha fire officials and BNSF Railway Co. representatives allowed residents of an evacuated part of south Omaha to return to their homes at 6 a.m. today following a hydrochloric acid leak Wednesday night.
The mandatory evacuation was in effect late Wednesday into this morning for an area bordered by Mid City Avenue to the north, I Street to the south and 13th Street to the Missouri River. The area includes about 100 houses. No injuries were reported.
Residents were evacuated after the leak was discovered about 6 p.m. at the BNSF Railway Co. yards near 13th Street and Missouri Avenue.
A faint smell of sulfur filled the air.
The Henry Doorly Zoo and Rosenblatt Stadium were evacuated. About 1,000 people were attending an Omaha Royals game against the Oklahoma RedHawks when it was suspended after four innings. Tonight’s game also was put on hold.
Residents of a larger area were told to stay indoors. That area was west of 13th, south of Interstate 80, east of 24th Street and north of Missouri Avenue.
Police also discouraged people from going within a square mile of the spill, said Officer Michael Pecha, an Omaha police spokesman. The U.S. Highway 275 bridge over the Missouri River was closed.
The leak was contained about 8:15 p.m., said Omaha Fire Department Assistant Chief Joe Gibilisco. About 200 gallons of the chemical might have leaked from the tanker car containing a total of about 150,000 gallons, he said.
Emergency crews went door-to-door in the mandatory evacuation area. Gibilisco said many residents in the area are elderly.
Residents evacuated from the area were directed to the southeast police precinct, where Red Cross and BNSF officials were helping them find places to stay for the night. At least 30 rooms had been reserved for evacuees at the downtown Doubletree Hotel, courtesy of the railroad.
Some people who live near the affected areas were seen walking their dogs or doing yard work and didn’t appear concerned about the activity around them.
About 13 friends and relatives of the Dellutri family, who live in the 5200 block of South 13th Street, grilled ribs and enjoyed monkey bread on the back porch Wednesday evening.
“I don’t think anybody is too worried,” said Chuck Dellutri.
Said his father, Bob: “The sewer smells worse than this.”
A local BNSF cleanup crew was on the scene shortly after the spill occurred, and firefighters were awaiting the arrival Wednesday night of a BNSF team of specialists from Arkansas that would help finish the cleanup.
The animals at the zoo were doing well and most were inside for the night, said Danny Morris, assistant zoo director.
Students who were camping on the zoo’s grounds were evacuated, Morris said.
The leak occurred in a rail car, officials said.
Wednesday evening’s rain had little if any effect on the spill, which grew to 75 feet long and 10 feet wide, Gibilisco said.
Symptoms of exposure to hydrochloric acid include a burning sensation on the skin or in the lungs, he said.
On Saturday in Lafayette Parish, La., a six-car BNSF train derailment caused a hydrochloric acid leak that triggered the evacuations of thousands of people within a mile of the wreck.
Hydrochloric acid is used in the production of chlorides, fertilizers and dyes; in electroplating; and in the photographic, textile, and rubber industries.
At Rosenblatt, Oklahoma led 2-1 heading into the home half of the fourth inning when officials received word that the stadium had to be cleared. Omaha Royals General Manager Martie Cordaro said Rosenblatt was evacuated within 10 minutes.