7 released from hospital after ammonia leak at Fresh Express in Streamwood
Seven people, including two firefighters, were released Tuesday after being treated at a hospital following an ammonia leak at Fresh Express in Streamwood late Monday night, officials said.
Streamwood Fire Chief Chris Clark said crews were called to the Fresh Express warehouse on the 1100 block of East Lake Street at 11:34 p.m.
The large industrial complex, which processes packaged salads and vegetables, was in full operation and all employees evacuated the building.
Firefighters determined the large ammonia leak came from the refrigeration systems, Clark said. He said the cause of the leak is still under investigation, though there is suspicion a forklift or something it was carrying may have damaged some piping.
Five employees and the two firefighters were taken to St. Alexius Medical Center in Hoffman Estates with difficulties breathing, Clark said. All were released, with the firefighters going directly back to work.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration responded to the scene after receiving a report from the company. OSHA has six months to complete its findings and issue citations if any violations of health or safety regulations are found, said Rhonda Burke, deputy director for public affairs in the U.S. Department of Labor's Chicago office.
It was the department's first call for an industrial ammonia leak, Clark said. Due to the danger from fumes, hazmat technicians wearing encapsulated suits entered the facility to measure ammonia levels and assess damage.
The fire department continued ventilating the building and flushing out the leaked ammonia Tuesday until levels were deemed safe enough for a contractor hired by Fresh Express to take over, Clark said.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago and Illinois Environmental Protection Agency supervised the flushing of the ammonia, Clark said. Diluted to safe concentrations, the ammonia was able to be disposed of into the sanitary sewer.
When the fire department left shortly before 4 p.m. Tuesday, the plant wasn't expected to resume normal operations for at least the rest of the day, Clark said.
Representatives of Fresh Express could not be reached for comment.
At the same time Streamwood firefighters responded to the hazmat incident, a blaze broke out at an industrial building on the 700 block of Bonded Parkway.
Firefighters extinguished a fire in the rear of the building. No one was injured. The property damage is estimated at $50,000. The cause of the fire has not been determined. Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg, Bartlett and Hanover Park fire departments helped put out the fire.
• Daily Herald staff writers Lee Filas and Chacour Koop contributed.