An ammonia leak at a Long Beach cold storage facility today prompted authorities to close freeway offramps in the area for nearly five hours while crews worked to handle the problem.
The leak was reported at the Long Beach Cold Storage and Logistics facility at Anaheim Street and Daisy Avenue around 3:30 a.m. , the Long Beach Fire Department reported.
The facility is the same where a leak was discovered Feb. 2, said Long Beach Fire Department spokesman Matt Dobberpuhl. HazMat units responding to the February emergency spotted a 4,000-gallon tank with a small leak in it and a large amount of industrial ammonia that had leaked out, said fire Capt. Jim Arvizu. Firefighters stopped the leak and contained the ammonia, he said.
This morning, authorities as a precaution advised nearby residents to stay inside their homes, but they quickly lifted that restriction, officials said. Traffic was routed away from the area, and a company representative was working with firefighters to determine the best way to close valves and handle the problem, Dobberpuhl said. The Anaheim Street offramps from the nearby Long Beach (710) Freeway were closed to limit vehicles from entering the area, a closure that was lifted about 8:15 a.m., the California Highway Patrol reported.
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