Orange County, Fl., - Orange County Fire Rescue has confirmed that an ammonia leak at the US Cold Storage facility at 2450 Shader Road has been secured.

Just after 9 this morning, Orange County Fire Rescue Communications received a 9-1-1 call reporting a strong smell of ammonia in the area of N. Orange Blossom Trail and Shader Road.  Fire crews determined the source of the smell was a nearby cold storage warehouse.  Due to the known presence of dangerous chemicals at this facility, all three special operations squads along with support teams were dispatched to the location. 

A maintenance worker for the facility reported he had detected the smell and shut down the valves supplying ammonia to the building’s refrigeration system.  Fire Rescue’s Special Operations teams used air quality monitors to determine the air in the area was safe.  Hazardous Material Specialists in full protective suits were lifted to the source of the leak on the roof by one of Orange County’s special “Bronto” ladder trucks to confirm the leak truly was secured.

One civilian patient was treated on scene for a sore throat, that patient declined transport to the hospital.  No evacuations were necessary besides the cold storage building.  Shader Road and Pennington Drive were shut down.

Over 25 firefighters worked for nearly three hours to ensure that all hazards had been mitigated.  Fire crews cleared the area shortly after noon.