Anhydrous ammonia tank explodes at ag co-op in Manchester

MANCHESTER — Six people were injured Wednesday after an anhydrous ammonia tank exploded at an agricultural cooperative facility in Manchester.

The city of Manchester initially reported on Facebook that three anhydrous ammonia tanks had exploded at the Three River FS facility, 1000 S Fifth St., but Manchester Fire Chief Mike Ryan said Thursday that only one tank exploded.

Other nearby tanks were pushed around by the force of the explosion, causing minor leaks in two other tanks.

The Manchester Fire Department was called at 2:07 p.m. Wednesday, Ryan said.

“From the initial tank explosion, there was an anhydrous cloud, but it was dissipated in, what we were told, just two to three minutes,” Ryan said.

After the explosion, the city of Manchester sent a message on Facebook asking people to shelter in place if they were south of Grant Street on the west side of the Maquoketa River. The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 2:53 p.m.

No injuries were reported at the scene, but six people were later transported in personal vehicles to the Regional Medical Center in Manchester to be treated for injuries related to the explosion, according to Delaware County Emergency Management.

Chris Salrin, general manager of Three Rivers FS, said no co-op employees were injured.

Anhydrous ammonia, as a liquid, is a widely used source of nitrogen fertilizer. Its fumes, if inhaled, can cause lung irritation and respiratory problems, according to state websites.

The fire department stayed at the co-op until about 7:30 p.m. The Linn County Emergency HAZMAT team, which contracts with Delaware County, also responded to the explosion.

“I wanted them to inspect all the tanks before we moved anything,” Ryan said. “And then they hung around until the crane that picks the tanks up had got everything righted. Then once the scene was secure, they took off.”

  Buy Photo

The cause of the explosion is under investigation, but so far it appears to have been a catastrophic tank failure, possibly exacerbated by the high temperatures Wednesday, Salrin said.

“We’re still doing some due diligence to make sure we’re clear on what did happen,” Salrin said.

Some Three Rivers FS equipment was damaged in the explosion, but the company doesn’t have a damage estimate yet.

Salrin said he believes the company’s safety protocols played a role in the lack of injuries to co-op staff.

“We want to use this as a learning opportunity to protect against something like this happening again. So we’re being very methodical, very diligent in understanding what happened,” Salrin said.

“Safety is a priority for us, so anytime that there’s an incident, we want to use it as a learning opportunity. So how do we get better to mitigate against things like this happening going forward?”

Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com