LIVE FROM KCRA THREE NEWS. WE BEGIN WITH BREAKING NEWS. THAT BREAKING NEWS IS IN SACRAMENTO. THAT’S WHERE CREWS ARE STILL TRYING TO DEAL WITH THE IMPACTS OF A CHEMICAL LEAK THAT’S CREATED DANGEROUS FUMES. NOW, THIS IS HAPPENING ON AINSWORTH AVENUE NEAR FRUITRIDGE AND FLORIN PERKINS ROADS. KCRA 3’S LETICIA ORDAZ IS THERE ON THE SCENE AND JOINS US WITH THE VERY LATEST. GOOD MORNING. BRANDY AND MIKE. THERE CONTINUES TO BE A HUGE RESPONSE OUT HERE IN SOUTH SACRAMENTO BECAUSE OF THIS CHEMICAL LEAK. AND WE’RE STARTING TO SEE SOME EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE BEEN EVACUATED FROM THE DIFFERENT BUSINESSES OUT HERE. AND I’M BEING JOINED LIVE NOW BY CAPTAIN JUSTIN SYLVIA WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE. AND YOU HAVE AN UPDATE FOR THE SITUATION FOR US NOW. WE DO. SINCE THE SUN HAS COME UP AND WE DO HAVE A SLIGHT WIND COMING FROM THE SOUTH AT ABOUT FOUR MILES AN HOUR. THE ODOR HAS DISSIPATED. IT’S JUST KIND OF SEPARATING IN THOSE PARTS PER MILLION THAT WERE REALLY CONCENTRATED ON. IT’S GETTING VERY LOW, WHICH IS A VERY GOOD THING. SO ONLY ABOUT 1000FT OF EVACUATION DISTANCE IS REQUIRED. OUR CREWS ARE MAKING ENTRY INTO THE FACILITY TO JUST GET THOSE READINGS. BUT EVEN THE ALARMS AT THE FACILITY ARE NOT SOUNDING ANYMORE, INDICATING HIGH LEVELS. SO IT’S DEFINITELY LOWER LEVELS. WITH THE SUN COMING UP. IT’S A GOOD THING THAT IT’S JUST DISSIPATING FROM THE AREA, AND WE KNOW THAT THERE WAS 14,000 POUNDS OF AMMONIA IN THAT TANK. WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT HOW MUCH POSSIBLY LEAKED OUT? WE DON’T KNOW THE EXACT AMOUNT THAT LEAKED OUT, BUT ONCE IT GETS TO A POINT, IT STARTS TO KIND OF EQUALIZE WITH THE ATMOSPHERE. SO IT’S NOT LEAKING. CURRENTLY. SO THAT’S THESE ARE ALL GOOD THINGS. SO UNLESS YOU’RE EXPERIENCING SYMPTOMS FROM AMMONIA EYE IRRITANT RESPIRATORY EFFECTS OR ANY TYPE OF BURNS WITHIN THIS AREA, THERE’S NO NEED TO CALL 911. WE’RE VERY WELL AWARE THAT THIS LEAK IS GOING ON. WE’RE ALL OVER THIS INCIDENT. SO WE’RE JUST GETTING A LOT OF 911 CALLS STILL. SO WE WANT TO SLOW THAT DOWN. ABSOLUTELY. AND TELL ME ABOUT THE ROADS EARLIER. YOU WERE THINKING YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CLOSE THEM. NOW IT’S A DIFFERENT SITUATION. WE HAD THE ROADS CLOSED EARLIER BECAUSE WE NEEDED TO CALCULATE THAT ISOLATION DISTANCE. BUT NOW THAT WE HAVE CALCULATED AND SEEN THE PARTS PER MILLION, THE ROADS ARE BACK OPEN IN THE AREA. OKAY. WHAT IS THE MESSAGE TO THE NEARBY BUSINESSES OUT HERE WITH THOSE THOUSAND FEET OF ZONE HERE? JUST KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE EVACUATED VERY TEMPORARILY UNTIL THIS CHEMICAL CAN GET OUT OF THE AREA. IT’S JUST AMMONIA. OKAY, SO WE’RE THINKING THE WORKERS COULD COME BACK LATER TODAY. ABSOLUTELY. ONCE WE ONCE WE CLEAR THE BUSINESSES WITH OUR AIR MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND DETERMINE THAT WE’RE AT SAFE LEVELS, EVERYONE CAN GO BACK TO WORK. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK THIS MORNING AND YOUR INFORMATION. WE SURE APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. WE KNOW WE SEE A NUMBER OF WORKERS THAT ARE OUT HERE THAT WERE SAYING IT WAS JUST TENSE MORNING HERE. VERY SCARY SITUATION AS THIS UNFOLDED STARTING AT SIX THIS MORNING, A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE EXPOSED TO THAT SMELL, VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SMELL. BUT AGAIN, THIS HAS NOW BEEN DOWNSIZED JUST A BIT AS THAT AMMONIA IS CONTINUING TO DISSIPATE IN THE AIR. THAT IS THE VERY LATEST HERE LIVE FROM SOUTH SACRAMENTO. I’M LETICIA ORDAZ KCRA THREE NEWS. BEST CAS

A major chemical leak occurred and a person was injured Tuesday morning in southeast Sacramento after a forklift damaged a tank at an agricultural chemical manufacturing company, officials said. First responders were dispatched around 5:51 a.m. to investigate a strong chemical odor reported in the 8300 block of Fruitridge Road, just east of Power Inn Road, in the Power Ridge neighborhood. Some people reported irritated eyes from being in the area. A forklift struck a pressure relief valve on a 60,000-pound tank that contained 14,000 pounds of ammonia, the Sacramento Fire Department said. One person was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The plant was evacuated and nearby roads closed off while cleanup is underway.A slight 4 mph wind from the south caused the odor to dissipate. Out of caution, some employees from nearby businesses were evacuated. Areas up to a 1,000-foot radius could be evacuated, the fire department said. Drivers should avoid the area at this time. Some workers have been allowed back inside the facility to repair the leak. Fruitridge Road has reopened, but Florin Perkins Road at Unsworth Avenue remains closed as of 7:44 a.m., the Sacramento Police Department said. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

A major chemical leak occurred and a person was injured Tuesday morning in southeast Sacramento after a forklift damaged a tank at an agricultural chemical manufacturing company, officials said.

First responders were dispatched around 5:51 a.m. to investigate a strong chemical odor reported in the 8300 block of Fruitridge Road, just east of Power Inn Road, in the Power Ridge neighborhood. Some people reported irritated eyes from being in the area.

A forklift struck a pressure relief valve on a 60,000-pound tank that contained 14,000 pounds of ammonia, the Sacramento Fire Department said. One person was injured and taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The plant was evacuated and nearby roads closed off while cleanup is underway.

A slight 4 mph wind from the south caused the odor to dissipate. Out of caution, some employees from nearby businesses were evacuated. Areas up to a 1,000-foot radius could be evacuated, the fire department said. Drivers should avoid the area at this time.

Some workers have been allowed back inside the facility to repair the leak. Fruitridge Road has reopened, but Florin Perkins Road at Unsworth Avenue remains closed as of 7:44 a.m., the Sacramento Police Department said.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel