A leak from a bulk storage tank released anhydrous ammonia fumes Wednesday evening south of Hayfield, Minn., forcing the closing of Hwy. 56 to traffic for several hours, according to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities received a report of anhydrous fumes crossing Hwy. 56 at about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday near Central Farm Service, just north of the Mower County line. The Hayfield Fire Department and State Patrol responded along with firefighters from Brownsdale and Blooming Prairie, and the Minnesota Department of Transportation closed the highway and rerouted traffic.
Olmsted County’s hazardous materials team arrived just after midnight to stop the leak and clean up the scene, and Hwy. 56 was reopened shortly before 5 a.m., according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The cause of the leak had not been determined as of Thursday morning, Dodge County Sheriff Scott Rose said in a statement. A sheriff’s deputy was treated at Mayo Clinic Hospital in Rochester for anhydrous exposure and later released, and neighbors were checked for possible exposure.
