HOOKSETT, N.H.
--
A hydrogen leak detected outside the General Electric Aviation plant in Hooksett was contained Tuesday.
Officials said a 135-pound tank was being delivered to the business at about 9 a.m., but a cap on top of the tank was stuck. When a worker tried to remove it, the valve was opened about a quarter of the way.
An alarm sounded, and about 300 GE workers were evacuated to a nearby building. Fire officials said about 22 employees from five adjacent buildings also had to be evacuated.
"Hydrogen is a material that burns invisibly," said Chief Mike Williams. "It's highly, highly flammable, so that's why we're trying to take every precaution we can.
Officials said hydrogen vented into the air for about 20 to 25 minutes until the top of the tank froze. After about three hours, a Hooksett firefighter was able to get to the valve and safely close it. There were no injuries.
"We've evacuated all of our people from the Plant 1 facility to our Plant 2 facility as a precaution," said Stephen Pisani of GE Aviation. "No injuries, no real issues, just an inconvenience at this point."
Workers were allowed back inside the building at about 12:30 p.m.
Fire officials said about one-fourth of the hydrogen in the tank leaked out. They said everyone acted properly, and a potentially dangerous situation was averted.
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