Chemical leak triggers shelter-in-place order
Workers cut into an ammonia line at Katy warehouse, officials say
A leak of potentially explosive chemicals at a warehouse in Katy drew a large emergency response and forced an hourslong shelter-in-place order for some residents Sunday.
The anhydrous ammonia leak began around 9 p.m. Saturday at the 99 Cents Only Stores warehouse in the 23600 block of Colonial Parkway.
Contractors on the site were doing maintenance, when officials said they accidentally cut into a line with anhydrous ammonia, a chemical the warehouse was using in an overhead refrigeration line that was being repaired at the time, officials said.
The leaking line was 16 feet in the air, making it hard to access. Around 1 a.m., the chemical was detected in the outside air.
Advocates questioned why residents weren’t alerted of the concern much faster.
“Today's event is a sobering reminder that strong prevention, response, and real-time air monitoring are essential for all types of facilities,” said Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of Air Alliance Houston. “This is also a good example of why a real-time notification system for chemical emergencies is a ‘must-have’ for our community. Each new chemical incident highlights the need for better overall emergency response and a central public notification system, such as what already exists for severe weather or missing people.”
Officials from several agencies responded, including the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office, Harris County Sheriff ’s Office, Houston Fire Department and Texas Department of Public Safety.
Crews found Sunday morning that the ammonia tanks in
side had drained, said Richard Lawhorn with the Harris County Fire Marshal’s Office. The chemicals has small molecules that disperse quickly, experts said.
Harris County Pollution Control Services vowed to continue monitoring the area, though by Sunday afternoon there were “no levels of detection of any concern,” Executive Director Latrice Babin said.
Residents in the nearby area were asked to shelter in place to avoid exposure. About 5,400 people live in a one-mile radius of the warehouse, according to an Environmental Protection Agency analysis of census tract data. Harris County Pollution Control sent a mobile air-monitoring vehicle to the area to detect the air quality in the area.
Around 1 p.m., the shelter in place order was lifted, according to the Harris County ESD 48 Fire Department and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.
Still, the leak forced Katy businesses, including those in the nearby Katy Asian Town shopping center, to shut down.
Alex Au-Yeung, the chef and owner of Phat Eatery, tried to pull up to his restaurant at 7:45. a.m., but he said the Harris County Sheriff’s office had blocked the parking lot.
Although Au-Yeung lives about 20 minutes away in Sugar Land, he had planned to arrive early because the restaurant had 2,000 basil salt-and-pepper chicken wings to sell on Super Bowl Sunday.
By 10 a.m., Au-Yeung and three of his staff met at nearby Stars Sports Bar & Grill to hash out a plan. They called nearly 100 customers who placed orders for the wings to inform them about the closure and apologized on Instagram for not being able to fulfill the orders.
“I just hate to disappoint our guests,” Au-Yeung said. “But we decided we’ll close the rest of the day for the safety of our staff.”