Ammonia leak at Publix plant forces evacuation

An ammonia leak at the Publix Distribution Center in Deerfield Beach on Friday afternoon forced the evacuation of about 400 employees, six of whom were taken to a hospital to be treated for respiratory symptoms, authorities said.

“We don’t believe that any of those injuries are serious, but certainly it’s a concern if they took in some ammonia,” said Mike Jachles, spokesman for Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Rescue, which received an emergency call at about 12:30 p.m.

When crews arrived moments later, the evacuation was already underway.

The plant at 777 SW 12th Ave. has massive amounts of ammonia — more than 200,000 pounds — stored at nine different “vessels” throughout the warehouse. The chemical is used as a refrigerant, Jachles said.

“They have a quite sophisticated refrigeration system,” he added, referring to the Deerfield plant.

A hazardous materials team entered the plant to determine the cause of the leak. Preliminary investigations revealed that the leak may have come from a unit near the middle of the plant.

By 4 p.m., crews confirmed that the leak had been stopped.

Apart from the six employees taken to Broward Health North Hospital, there were several others who complained of respiratory symptoms and were treated on site. A triage area was set up outside the plant. “People that needed to be decontaminated were decontaminated with showers,” Jachles said.

Dozens of tractor-trailers were parked alongside roads in the area, the drivers sitting in their cabs for hours waiting to drop off or pick up deliveries. Traffic was dicey for commuters looking to take 12th Avenue, and many of them squeezed their cars between tractor-trailers.

The delay will likely affect the delivery of shipments to Publix supermarkets in the region. There are nine distribution centers across Florida that account for more than 1.2 million deliveries to more than 398 cities.

The Deerfield Plant employs about 1,500 employees, Jachles said.