Milford Firefighters Deal With Hazardous Materials Incident

MILFORD, CT — Firefighters dealt with a hazardous materials incident in Milford on Thursday afternoon.

The Milford Emergency Operations Center received a call reporting a tractor-trailer leaking anhydrous ammonia at the Schick Corporation at 10 Leighton Road at 12:52 p.m., according to Battalion Chief/Public Information Officer Adam Hansen.

The tanker truck driver had just completed a delivery of anhydrous ammonia to the facility. The driver was performing a check of his truck when he noticed a leak in the hose fitting.

The driver immediately isolated the hose inside the berm/collection point. About seven gallons of the substance was collected into the containment area where the truck was parked.

Firefighters donning hazmat suits entered and brought a container filled with water into the "hot zone." The team discharged the remaining substance from the hose and truck piping into the container.

The goal was to contain all of the remaining anhydrous ammonia and to dilute it with the water, Hansen said in a statement. Diluting the chemical with water makes it essentially the same as household ammonia and allows for safer transport.

No injuries were reported. Surrounding neighborhoods were not in danger and did not need to evacuate, Hansen said.