Black smoke billowing from the cold storage warehouse fire in Finley over the weekend carried burning plastic and other potentially toxic building materials into the air, including anhydrous ammonia.
About 14,000 pounds of ammonia, which was used as a refrigerant at the frozen vegetable warehouse, was lost in the fire, the Washington Department of Ecology confirmed Tuesday to the Tri-Cities Herald.
Benton County Fire District 1 fielded numerous questions from the public about a possible ammonia release, said Jenna Kochenauer, the district’s public information officer.
Ammonia is caustic and hazardous when released in large volumes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, which notes that it is difficult to ignite and that its smell tends to drive people away before concentration levels become dangerous.