Ammonia Leak at TX Warehouse Sickens More than a Dozen

June 13, 2023
Fire and rescue personnel from Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill, Ovilla and Glenn Heights operated at the Lancaster facility.

Tyler J. Davis

The Dallas Morning News

(TNS)

More than a dozen were hospitalized after a chemical leak in Lancaster, according to multiple media reports.

First responders were called Monday afternoon to a commercial building in the 2000 block of Danieldale Road on reports of ammonia exposure, but the substance has not been confirmed, per KXAS-TV (NBC5).

“We don’t know what the chemical might be. Again, we’re just calling it a ‘hazardous material,’” Keaira English, a city spokesperson, told NBC5. She told the television station 15 people were taken to area hospitals — 11 were transported to Parkland Health in Dallas.

UNFI, a food distribution company, works out of the building. Calls made after business-hours to UNFI and English were not immediately returned.

In a statement to WFAA-TV ( Channel 8), UNFI said workers reported at about noon smelling an odor believed to be ammonia

“The safety of our associates is our top priority, and we are working closely with the fire department to assess the situation and determine when it is safe to open and return to the [distribution center],” the UNFI statement said.

Emergency crews from Grand Prairie, Cedar Hill, Ovilla and Glenn Heights responded to the scene, per NBC5.

©2023 The Dallas Morning News. Visit dallasnews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.