Ammonia Tanker Leak Evacuates Oklahoma Town, Injures Dozens

A tanker truck carrying thousands of pounds of anhydrous ammonia sprang a leak in a hotel parking lot in Weatherford, Oklahoma, late Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents and sending dozens to hospitals with respiratory injuries and chemical burns.

The incident occurred around 10 p.m. behind a Holiday Inn Express in the city of about 12,000 residents, located 70 miles west of Oklahoma City. The truck, operated by Airgas, a Pennsylvania-based industrial gas supplier, held 25,000 pounds of the colorless, suffocating gas commonly used as a fertilizer for corn and wheat. Authorities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, attributed the release to a faulty gasket or mechanical failure in a valve, though the exact volume spilled remains unclear. The leak prompted immediate evacuations and a shelter-in-place order for much of the town, affecting an estimated 500 to 600 people who sought refuge in a local shelter early Thursday. Firefighters in gas masks went door-to-door to rouse residents and guide them to safety, while nursing homes were cleared and public schools, along with Southwestern Oklahoma State University, closed for the day.