Several hundred people were evacuated from their homes after a 5,000-gallon tank of glacial acetic acid sprung a leak in an industrial complex Wednesday night. The evacuation lasted 18 hours, ending at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday after officials successfully transferred the chemical to another tank, said Maj. Ernest Finley of the Atlanta Police Department.
Some residents taken to evacuation shelters said they were ordered to leave their homes. However, Finley said, ``It was definitely a voluntary evacuation.''
However, about 40 streets in more than a mile radius around the leak site were closed, with police cars stationed at intersections.
``The fire department went through neighborhoods door to door and through apartment complexes door to door, advising them of the situation and we got good, positive reception as far as complying to the direction of the EPA as well as the fire department,'' Finley said. ``Everything is going fine.''
Finley said no residents were forced to evacuate.
``If someone refused to leave, we're not going to force them but we tell them the positives for evacuating,'' he said.
Finley estimated about 75 percent of the residents in the area were evacuated.
Glacial acetic acid is a form of concentrated vinegar that is used in food products, fungicides and in the preparation of pharmaceuticals.
Officials determined the chemical could irritate a person's eyes and throat, but it did not pose any long-term health hazards.
``It has that vinegar odor, but it's not fatal,'' Finley said.
Two of the first responding police officers at the scene were brought to a hospital after complaining of burning eyes. Their injuries were minor. No other injuries were reported.
Finley said the police department planned to pass out flyers informing residents to seek medical attention if they experience prolonged coughing or shortness of breath.
Many residents were taken to evacuation centers on buses and had no choice but to await the clearance to return. The frustration of the several hundred evacuees who spent the night at Benjamin E. Mays High School grew when some were told Thursday morning that they could leave, only to be told after boarding the buses they had to return to the school.
``They were disappointed,'' said Red Cross volunteer Diane Waldrip, who helped evacuees staying at the school.
Classes at Mays High School and 19 other schools in the area were canceled Thursday because of their proximity to the leak site or their use as evacuation shelters.
The leak was first reported around 8:20 p.m. Wednesday by a call to 911. Fire authorities said the leak was coming from a tank owned by Brenntag Stinnes Logistics.
Lessons can be learned from any evacuation, said Lisa Ray with the Georgia Office of Homeland Security.
``Anytime we have an incident, whether the BioLab explosion in Conyers or a chemical spill on the highway, we come back with a lesson learned,'' Ray said. ``I think in this particular incident we feel good that human needs were handled properly.''
Police departments from East Point, College Park and Atlanta worked together, along with the East Point and Atlanta fire departments, hazardous materials crews and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
``We like to see it go across jurisdictional lines,'' Ray said. ``That's the way it's supposed to work, that if your neighbor is having a problem, especially related to terrorism, you provide that mutual aide. Of course we were glad this was not terrorism.''
There were limited facilities for the evacuees at Mays High School. Erma Williams, who said she arrived at the school about 2 a.m. Thursday, said she felt lucky just to have one of the metal folding chairs. But after several hours, she said she was tired of waiting.
Williams said she didn't know there had been a chemical leak in the area until informed by the police. She said she didn't smell the chemical ``until you opened the door.''
The evacuation continued into Thursday afternoon, testing the patience of the displaced residents.
``My butt hurts,'' said Rose Monteiro, who was sitting with Williams. ``We've just been waiting here for hours.''
Monteiro said she left her home in too much of a rush.
``I just ran out and I forgot my medicine,'' she said. ``I have asthma.''
Late Thursday morning, emergency medical personnel summoned to assist an evacuee with diabetes took Monteiro from the school on a stretcher. She was alert.
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