An ammonia gas leak triggered panic at a cold storage facility in Uttar Pradesh’s Kannauj late Monday night after a valve malfunctioned. The incident occurred around 2 am at Janta Cold Storage located on Govardhani Road in the Sadar Kotwali area. According to jagran.com, 15 employees present at the facility were affected as ammonia gas began spreading inside the premises.
On receiving information about the leak, a team from the city fire brigade rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control by shutting the faulty valve. Authorities said the affected employees were attended to, and the leak was contained.
Recognising the severity of the situation, the fire brigade team used breathing apparatus (BA) sets to safely evacuate all employees and others inside the cold storage facility. The team then entered the machine room and closed the leaking valve. Water was sprayed to mitigate the effects of the ammonia gas, after which the gas leak was completely controlled.
There were no casualties. After the situation returned to normal, firefighters provided necessary safety guidance to the cold storage management and returned to the fire station.
Fire station in-charge Sandeep Tanwar said that a report of an ammonia leak had been received. The team arrived at the scene, plugged the leak, and all employees were safely evacuated. There were no injuries. Water was also pumped into the area to counter the effects of the ammonia. District Horticulture Officer CP Awasthi said that all cold storage operators have been instructed to inspect the ammonia and other equipment.