At approximately 7:50 am this morning, the Southbridge Fire Department was dispatched to 15 Wells St, EaglePicher Electronic Packaging, within 5 Case St, Southbridge Mills complex, for a reported ammonia spill with 1 patient experiencing symptoms of exposure. The incident commander rapidly requested a Teir 2 Hazardous Material Response from the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services due to the type of chemical.
It is unclear at this time if the patient required further medical care or if there have been any other injuries.
A Tier 2 response is capable of handling “Short Term Operation – Limited Release” according to the DFS website.
As of 9:37 am, the scene was still active, with the Southbridge Permanent Firefighters Local 2194 Facebook page requesting the public to avoid the area.
1053 Update: This incident has been placed under control. A private cleanup crew is on-site mitigating the spill. Two businesses were affected by the spill. All emergency units have cleared the scene.
Southbridge | MA | 5 Case St | HAZMAT | Units o/s with a contained ammonia leak. A Tier 2 State HAZMAT response has been initiated. At least 1 PT was evaluated for exposure