One dead, 24 brought to hospitals after ammonia leak, fire in Navotas

One person died while 24 others were brought to two hospitals after having difficulty breathing following an ammonia leak and fire in a cold storage facility in Navotas City on Monday night.

The fatality, a 16-year-old, was taken by ambulance to a hospital but eventually passed away, according to a report by James Agustin on Unang Balita on Tuesday.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) however said authorities will still verify if the death is related to the ammonia leak.

At past 11 p.m. Monday, employees of the cold storage facility on M. Naval Street in Barangay NBBN evacuated the area after smelling ammonia.

"Parang may something na ano, masama sa ilong. Naaamoy namin kaya pinalabas na kami," Larry Soriano, employee of the cold storage facility, said.

(There was a bad smell. We could smell it so we were directed to go out.)

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) responded to close the valve and control the ammonia leak.

However, after an hour, there was a blast and the facility caught fire.

The BFP raised the third alarm, which meant 15 fire trucks were needed.

Firemen had to go on the rooftops of adjacent buildings to train their hoses on the fire.

Ammonia leak at sunog sa isang cold storage facility sa Brgy. NBBN Navotas, iniimbestigahan pa ng BFP. 23 residente ang isinugod sa ospital matapos mahirapang huminga. Isang 16yo ang nasawi pero inaalam pa kung may kinalaman sa insidente. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/PzvMpCkWEg

— James Agustin (@_jamesJA) June 19, 2023

The BFP declared fire out before 2 a.m. Tuesday. 

BFP personnel were able to close the valve where ammonia was leaking at 1:42 a.m. Tuesday. The ammonia leak was traced to the control room where there were various machines.

"It was assessed na medyo strong 'yung leak so we tried to manage it. Ang problema, 'yung pressure du'n sa pipes where the ammonia sir [was] coming out, 'yun 'yung nahirapan kaming i-manage. Sumabog 'yung malaking portion du'n sa kung saan nakabuga ang ammonia," Navotas Fire Marshal Fire Superintendent Jude Delos Reyes said.

"So ini-stop ko muna operations. So nagkaroon tayo ng evacuation muna, after which binalikan natin kasi pagsabog, nag-cause naman siya ng sunog," he added.

24 brought to hospitals

The Department of Health on Tuesday said 11 individuals were brought to Tondo Medical Hospital, while 13 were brought to Navotas City Hospital due to complaints of difficulty of breathing, vomiting, and loss of consciousness.

The agency said the East Avenue Medical Center, through its Toxicology Referral and Training Center, has advised hospitals on the treatment of the patients.

The Philippine General Hospital's National Poison Management and Control Center also received eleven referral calls related to the incident.

Exposure to high levels of ammonia in the air, according to DOH, may be irritating to a person’s skin, eyes, throat, and lungs, and can cause coughing and burns.

“Ammonia is used as a refrigerant gas, for the purification of water supplies, and in the manufacture of plastics, explosives, textiles, pesticides, dyes, and other chemicals. Most people are exposed to ammonia from inhalation of the gas or vapors,” DOH said.

“The first aid is to immediately rinse and decontaminate the skin and eyes with copious amounts of clean water. Treatment consists of supportive measures and can include the administration of oxygen, bronchodilators, and airway management,” it added.

The BFP is still investigating the cause of the fire in Navotas.

Meanwhile, the cold storage facility will be closed as investigation is ongoing.

"First of all it will be closed pending investigation at saka assurance na safe na siya. So ang unang mangyayari diyan, isasara muna ng business permits o BPLO [Business Permits and Licensing Office]," Navotas City Representative Toby Tiangco said.

GMA Integrated News is contacting the management of the cold storage facility to get their statement.

The CDRRMO meanwhile said the BPLO will inspect the facility on Tuesday to see if there were violations. — with Giselle Ombay/KG/RSJ, GMA Integrated News