PETALING JAYA: A pipe leak at a Johor food processing factory released ammonia gas, leading to the evacuation of 107 workers on Tuesday.
Johor Fire and Rescue Department responded to a distress call at 2.03pm about the leak along Jalan Johor and Fire teams arrived within seven minutes to manage the situation, reported The Star.
Operation commander Mohd Hasnan Abd Rahman said about 100 litres of ammonia gas were immediately transferred from the leaking tank to two reserve tanks, after the initial leak released approximately 50 litres of ammonia gas.
“Firefighters had to transfer the remaining ammonia gas and evacuate the building as a precautionary measure to ensure area safety,“ he was quoted as saying.
The operation involved 19 firefighters, including Hazmat specialists, one Fire Rescue Tender, and one Emergency Medical Rescue Service unit while workers were sent home as a safety measure as the emergency teams handled the situation.
The Hazmat team from Larkin fire station arrived at 8pm to conduct inspections and found that the ammonia gas concentration was 0.45 ppm, a safe and controlled level.
The incident was resolved through coordination between two fire stations with no injuries reported. The factory owner and contractors will handle maintenance work and decontamination of the affected area.
