Ammonia leaks at pier, creates a noxious cloud

A massive ammonia leak at the Hawaiian Ice Co. at Pier 38 on Monday resulted in the evacuation of more than 100 people from neighboring businesses and vessels.

According to Honolulu Fire Department spokesman Capt. David Jenkins, the leak originated from a 6,500-pound container.

Witnesses said the leak produced a large noxious cloud that drifted across the pier.

HFD responded to the 5:07 p.m. emergency call with 12 companies staffed by approximately 40 personnel.

The department’s hazardous materials team was able to enter the business and shut off the supply of ammonia. As of 7:15 p.m. Monday, hazmat personnel were continuing to take readings of ammonia levels to determine when the building could be reopened for further ventilation.

Ana Settle, 42, a cashier at Nico’s Pier 38 seafood restaurant, was near the door when a customer came in gagging. Settle called 911, then helped as the business evacuated staff and customers.

“You could feel it in your lungs,” Settle said. “I felt dizzy and I couldn’t breathe. We got out of there as fast as we could.”

Fifteen people were evaluated by Emergency Medical Serv­ices personnel. Of those, nine received treatment on-site for irritated eyes, breathing difficulty and other symptoms, and refused transport to a hospital. One person was transported to a hospital for further treatment.

Abraham Carroll, 62, was aboard a friend’s boat at the pier when he smelled the gas.

“It was worse than sticking your nose in a bottle of Clorox and breathing in,” he said. “When we were evacuating, we could actually see it. It was a big, white cloud.”

Bill Sherwood, a manager at nearby Harbor Restaurant, said the gas made its way into the establishment through the ventilation system. Soon guests arrived from outside complaining of burning eyes and shortness of breath.

Unsure about what they were facing, Sherwood and his kitchen staff shut off all of the burners and anything else that could ignite a flammable gas as customers and other employees quickly exited the business.

Sherwood said the cost of closing just as the dinner service was starting was “not a small amount,” but added, “It’s a good thing it happened on a slower night of the week.”