GLENDALE : 30 Evacuated Due to Leak of Toxic Fluid
Nearly 30 workers were evacuated from a Glendale office building after a half-gallon solution of ammonia leaked in one of the offices Thursday, officials said.
No injuries occurred as a result of the 9 a.m. spill at Che Systems Inc., a telephone services company at 436 W. Colorado St. Eleven other businesses occupy the two-story building.
Workers inside Che Systems contacted firefighters after noticing a printer was leaking ammonium hydroxide, said Rudolph Kalish, the building’s owner.
The ammonia mix is used for making blueprints and could become poisonous if a large amount is inhaled or absorbed through the skin, Glendale Fire Battalion Chief Steve Howard said. To keep vapors from spreading through the air-conditioning system, a hazardous-materials crew used special equipment to blow the ammonium hydroxide out the roof, Howard said.
“Once it’s diluted into the atmosphere, it’s safe,” he said.
Police blocked off a portion of Colorado Street between Pacific and Columbus avenues, and those evacuated--only about 30 because most of the offices were not yet open for business--returned around noon.
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