Seattle firefighters and hazmat teams responded Friday to reports of an ammonia leak on a commercial vessel tied up in the 600 block of W. Ewing Street. Everyone on board was evacuated as a safety precaution while crews assessed the situation and worked to secure the area.
According to the Seattle Fire Department, firefighters were dispatched to a hazardous-materials call involving a commercial vessel at the 600 block of W. Ewing St., and the vessel was evacuated. The department’s post did not include further details about the ship or any information on injuries.
What responders are doing
Hazmat teams typically set up exclusion zones, monitor the air for toxic vapors, and use specialized respiratory protection while they isolate and mitigate chemical releases. Guidance from OSHA on ammonia emergencies notes that ammonia is a high health hazard and that responders should use self-contained breathing apparatus or positive-pressure full-face respirators when high exposures are possible.
Why ammonia is dangerous
Ammonia is a corrosive gas used in refrigeration and industrial processes; exposure can cause severe eye and respiratory injury and, at high concentrations, can be life-threatening. The emergency response card from NIOSH lists an IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) level for ammonia at 300 ppm and warns that people can lose their ability to detect its odor after repeated exposure, so smell alone is not a reliable safety cue.
What neighbors and workers should do
If you are near the waterfront, follow directions from police and fire personnel, stay away from the dock area and move upwind if you notice a strong chemical odor. If you or others have eye or throat irritation, coughing, or trouble breathing, call 911; for suspected poisoning, the Poison Help line is 1-800-222-1222. State and federal rules require immediate notification of certain hazardous releases, and the EPA maintains contact details and reporting guidance for emergency releases.
Where this is happening
The 600 block of W. Ewing sits along Seattle’s Ship Canal and West Canal Yards area, a stretch of waterfront used by maritime businesses and light industry. That industrial setting typically brings coordination among local fire, port and state environmental responders as crews work to secure the vessel and address any potential shoreline impacts, according to GeekWire.
