Toledo Fire & Rescue cut the evacuation zone to a half-mile radius near 1266 Progress Ave. and ended a three-mile shelter-in-place order Wednesday evening after the hazardous material release that drove WTOL school closings. The change followed a Tuesday night response that forced surrounding businesses out and kept nearby residents under emergency instructions.
Crews first responded just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the chemical involved was glycidyl methacrylate. MC Tank Transport said the chemical is used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better, while the U.S. EPA said it is flammable and came from a 5,500-gallon tank because of an error during transfer.
Sheldon Collins at Progress Ave.
Toledo Fire & Rescue private Sheldon Collins said, “a tank was leaking on the ground outside the facility.” That scene matched the emergency footprint that stretched around Progress Ave., where Enterprise Boulevard between Stickney Avenue and Benore Road was blocked off while crews worked the leak.
The response also reached school operations. Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools canceled school for the day, and residents were directed toward Shoreland Elementary and Meijer on East Alexis, where The Red Cross and TARTA buses were positioned to help move people from the area.
Raintree Village and Alexis Addition
Raintree Village mobile home park and the Alexis Addition neighborhood sat inside the evacuation zone, and Washington Township officials evacuated Raintree Village residents. Surrounding businesses were also evacuated Tuesday night, widening the impact beyond the immediate tank site.
Officials said Wednesday afternoon that the reaction would be allowed to complete and the chemical release could continue for several more hours, even as the shelter-in-place order was lifted later that evening. That left residents with one clear change: the broadest restrictions were gone, but the half-mile evacuation zone around 1266 Progress Ave. still remained in place.
Officials reported one known injury. A sheriff's deputy went to the hospital to get checked out, and the deputy's condition was described as not serious. No other injuries or deaths were reported, and Toledo Fire & Rescue asked the public not to call 911 about the HAZMAT leak.
