Evacuations In Berry Hill After Ammonia Leak

BERRY HILL, TN — An apparent ammonia leak at the Mrs. Grissom's plant forced its evacuation and that of a nearby Coca-Cola bottler. Residents in nearby Berry Hill were told to remain indoors and turn off their air conditioning, as well.

Hazmat crews were called to the area around 3:10 a.m. and the leak was capped around 9 a.m. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

A Metro Schools bus transported 25 employees from the bottling facility to a triage facility in the parking lot of 100 Oaks for decontamination. One person was hospitalized with nausea and throat pain.

Ammonia tends to seek moisture, which raised concerns about how far and fast it would spread on a foggy, humid Tuesday morning, as the gas mixed with the fog, creating an airborne irritant. Residents who lived within a mile of the leak were told to shelter-in-place and to turn off their air conditioning.

An investigation as to the cause of the leak continues.

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