2,500 evacuated after W.Pa. chemical leak | AP | 10/11/2008

Authorities in western Pennsylvania evacuated about 2,500 people due to a hazardous mile-long cloud from a corrosive material leak at a chemical plant.

Butler County emergency officials said the leak at the Indspec Chemical Corp. plant in Petrolia was reported shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday. Plant manager Dave Dorko said a material called oleum similar to sulfuric acid overflowed from a tank and instantly evaporated into the air.

Freda Tarbell, spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection, said authorities were concerned about the potential for respiratory damage and skin burns. She said a team with the federal Environmental Protection Agency had gone to the area from Wheeling, W.Va., to monitor air quality.

Authorities went door-to-door to warn the 2,500 people living in a three-mile radius around the plant to evacuate because of the cloud. Tarbell said the air would be monitored through the night and residents would probably be able to return home Sunday morning.

About 250 people went to shelters in nearby Karns City, North Washington and Bruin, and officials said the rest likely went to stay with relatives. Red Cross officials said they expected to shelter only 50 to 100 people overnight in the close-knit community.

Dorko said all 30 employees of the plant, which produces a bonding agent for the tire industry, were evacuated and no one was injured. Authorities said three residents were taken to hospitals with apparent respiratory problems, but officials said it was unclear whether they were related to the leak.

The dense cloud was reported moving slowly west close to the ground late Saturday night. No further evacuations were planned, but residents in the cloud's path were told to remain inside, close doors, windows and vents, shut down any system that draws air from the outside and put out any fires in fireplaces.