Chemical leak at north Toledo terminal prompts 1-mile evacuation, 3-mile shelter-in-place order

Evacuation and shelter orders

Toledo Fire & Rescue ordered an evacuation of everyone within 1 mile of the MC Tank terminal on Progress Avenue in north Toledo at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 20, for a hazardous materials release, the City of Toledo said. At 4:24 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, the city added a shelter-in-place order for a 3-mile radius. ^{[1] [3]}

The city's page gives the terminal's address as 1266 Progress Ave. in its summary but uses 1050 Progress Ave. in its zone descriptions, and other outlets use one or the other. Evacuees were directed to Shoreland Elementary School and to the Meijer parking lot off East Alexis Road, where Red Cross staff and TARTA buses were stationed, the city said. ^{[1] [3]}

The evacuation zone includes the Raintree Village mobile home park and the Alexis Addition neighborhood, and Washington Township evacuated Raintree Village residents, according to 13abc. The station reported that Sterling Pipe & Tube was evacuated, nearby railroads were shut down and several streets were blocked, including Enterprise Boulevard between Stickney Avenue and Benore Road. ^[2]

Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools canceled classes for the day, 13abc reported; CBS Detroit also reported that Toledo public schools were closed. ^{[2] [5]}

The chemical and the leak

MC Tank Transport Inc., which 13abc said is a subsidiary of Kenan Advantage Group, identified the chemical as glycidyl methacrylate, an industrial chemical used in some plastics, paints and coatings. The Washington Examiner also reported the company's identification. ^{[2] [4]}

Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz confirmed the chemical, and ClickOnDetroit described it as a potential carcinogen. He said the tank was still actively leaking and could remain volatile for up to 12 hours after the incident, and that crews would reassess at 9:30 a.m. whether it was safe to approach. "There is at least the potential and concern that the tank could explode," he said, per ClickOnDetroit. ^[3]

The city described the substance as an irritant that can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, with headache, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting among the symptoms of overexposure. A Toledo Fire & Rescue private, Sheldon Collins, told 13abc the tank was leaking onto the ground outside the facility. The city page said dense fog and little wind made it impossible to tell fog from the plume by sight. ^{[1] [2]}

In a statement carried by 13abc, MC Tank said its "immediate and overriding concern is the safety of area residents." ^[2]

Conflicting accounts

ClickOnDetroit described a chemical tank explosion and said an employee first reported it around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. The city page says the opposite: "There hasn't been an explosion, only a release of hazardous materials." The sources reviewed do not resolve the difference. ^{[3] [1]}

On injuries, the city said no injuries or fatalities had been reported, and CBS Detroit likewise reported none. ClickOnDetroit reported that a first responder was injured and hospitalized. No cause for the leak has been given, and no release amount or air-monitoring results had been published in the sources reviewed. ^{[1] [5] [3]}

What happens next

As of the city's 7:30 a.m. update, the release was ongoing and neither order had been lifted. Residents inside the zones were told to follow city and Toledo Fire & Rescue instructions, and the city asked people to call 911 only for emergencies. Updates on the 9:30 a.m. reassessment, any lifting of the orders, the cause and the injury question are expected from the city and fire department. ^{[1] [2]}