Homes Evacuated During Ammonia Leak at Tyson Plant

Firefighters and HAZMAT personnel were called to the Tyson Foods plant in Goodlettsville, TN Sunday morning after an ammonia leak was reported at the facility, according to officials and local news organizations.

The fire department dispatched crews after receiving a 911 call at about 4:40 a.m., arriving on scene to find workers evacuating the plant, a release posted on the City of Goodlettsville Fire Department page on Facebook stated.

Fire officials described the incident to The Tennessean as a “large ammonia leak.”

“The decision was made to evacuate the remainder of that street and approximately 280 people from an RV park in that immediate area,” Goodlettsville Fire wrote. “Additional closures were initiated on the major traffic arteries closes to the plant: Highway 41 North and South, I-65 North and South, and the CSX Rail adjacent to the plant.”

Other residents near the location were told to shelter in place.

“The Nashville Fire Department HAZMAT team and Tyson plant employees worked together to locate and isolate the problem to prevent further product escaping,” the fire department’s release said. “Once that was completed, the inner and outer perimeters were checked with ammonia specific air monitors over a one-hour time frame and none was detected.”

Roadways were reopened around 8:10 a.m.