Evacuation area around Toledo chemical tank leak reduced as conditions continue to improve

TOLEDO, Ohio — Authorities in Ohio on Thursday reduced the evacuation zone around a chemical tank that ruptured earlier in the week, sending a white plume billowing into the air.

Toledo Fire & Rescue reduced the evacuation zone from a half-mile radius around the MC Tank Terminal site to a quarter-mile radius. The evacuation order will remain in place until the risk of explosion has passed, authorities said in a news release.

Residents and businesses in that area must remain evacuated, but those outside that area can return. A shelter-in-place order had already been lifted Wednesday evening.

The rupture happened late Tuesday night. MC Tank Transport said the tank contained glycidyl methacrylate, which it described as “an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better.”

City leaders were allowing the chemical to vent instead of trying to stop the leak, saying that would be more dangerous. The news release said the tank was still releasing material Thursday but that it had slowed significantly and the tank temperature continued to drop.

The explosion risk decreases as the tank pressure decreases, and crews were preparing to enter with hopes of transitioning control of the site back to the owner for cleanup on Thursday, the release said.