A worker at a Stavis Seafoods warehouse in Boston died Wednesday night during an ammonia leak incident.
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It was declared a level 3 hazmat situation, meaning all firefighters entering the building had to be in fully encapsulated suits and use air tanks.
The Boston Fire Department hazmat crew found one man dead inside a Stavis Seafoods warehouse in South Boston Wednesday evening after responding to an ammonia leak at the facility, fire officials said.
As of 8:20 p.m., the leak was still active because firefighters could not get to the valve to shut off the ammonia.
Before the shutoff, fire officials said about 5,300 pounds of ammonia remained in the building.
An employee at Stavis Seafod Inc., said workers smelled a strong odor of ammonia, and then came outside and saw a leak coming from a part of the plant.
A shelter-in-place order was issued shortly after the leak began as a precautionary measure, but Walsh said there wasn’t a danger to the public.
Police said they have shut down several streets surrounding the city’s Seaport District, specifically towrads Summer Street, and motorists are advised to find alternate routes.
“It’s a very large ammonia leak inside of a cold storage facility used for seafood processing”, Boston Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald told the Boston Herald.
Police Commissioner William Evans said everyone else who was inside the building is safe and accounted for, Fox 25 reported.
It’s unknown how or when the leak started, and the incident remains under investigation.
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Fire officials say the man was working in the warehouse and emergency responders were unable to reach him at first because of strong fumes.
