On Tuesday, August 27, 2019, at approx. 5:52am, Tillamook 911 was notified of a possible ammonia leak from storage tanks at 31595 Sandlake Rd, near Cape Kiwanda. It was reported that there were 2 large older commercial tanks, approx. 300 gal size, that were part of an old mink farm from about 50 years ago.
The ammonia was used as a refrigerant in the cooling system. The caller, Dan Krueger reported that he could smell the ammonia in the area of the buildings. Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District units responded and notified the State Fire Marshal as well as the Oregon Emergency Response System who dispatched HAZMAT and Decontamination teams out of Salem and Tualatin Fire and Rescue to assist. They then evacuated two nearby residences.
At approx. 10:13 the crews arrived and then the buildings and tanks were located. The crews evaluated both the buildings and the tanks and determined that the area was clear of any gasses at that time. At approx. 11:35am the HAZMAT Team declared that there was no longer any hazard.
Responders included Nestucca Rural Fire Protection District, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Tillamook County Emergency Management, Tillamook Adventist Ambulance, Salem Fire HAZMAT, and Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue.