Updated | 1:46 p.m.
A man was medevaced from Unalaska on Saturday after suffering serious injuries from an ammonia leak at the Kloosterboer cold storage facility.
Police Deputy Chief Jennifer Shockley said the man was inside an industrial freezer when its ammonia line began leaking.
After he was “extricated and decontaminated,” the man was flown to Anchorage for emergency treatment. His current medical status is unknown, but Shockley said ammonia poses significant health hazards.
“It can cause a burning sensation on any exposed skin,” she said. “Mucus membranes are also affected by it — your mouth, nose, and lungs.”
Thirteen emergency responders and a seven-person hazmat team responded to the incident Saturday at 12:45 p.m. Shockley said they quickly contained the leak inside the freezer, but she didn’t know how long it took to shut off the ammonia supply entirely.
The responders — from the Unalaska Department of Public Safety and the UniSea hazmat team — were on-scene for more than six hours, ventilating the building and keeping the area outside clear of people. Shockley said they deemed the facility safe to enter without breathing aides about 10 a.m. Sunday.
Police are now investigating the cause of the leak.
“We’ll have an investigator looking into it — basically, documenting what happened and getting statements from people,” Shockley said. “Not because we think there’s anything criminal, but because the time to do an investigation is when an incident happens.”
Another person suffered minor injuries during the leak, but he did not require medical treatment at the clinic.
Officials at Kloosterboer did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Original post | 6 a.m.
One injured in ammonia leak in Unalaska
An ammonia leak at a cold storage facility in Unalaska has left one person with “serious injuries.”
According to a statement from the Department of Public Safety, a seven-person hazmat team and 13 emergency responders arrived at the Kloosterboer building Saturday at 12:45 p.m. after a freezer line began leaking ammonia.
Officials said the victim was “decontaminated” and taken by ambulance to the clinic.
The responders — from the DPS and the UniSea hazmat team — shut off the ammonia supply and ventilated the building.
Officials say the facility was expected to be clear by 4 p.m.
One other minor injury has been reported.