An ammonia leak has prompted emergency crews to evacuate a Maple Lodge Farms plant in Brampton on Sunday morning.
Peel police and Brampton firefighters were called to the chicken processing plant on Winston Churchill Boulevard at around 8:15 a.m. after maintenance work caused a leak in the freezer room.
No injuries were reported but crews urged residents within a kilometre of the plant to shelter-in place, according to David Van Houten, acting platoon chief for Brampton Fire and Emergency Services.
"It is a very high health hazard for respiratory issues. You cannot breath in that gas at all, not even in little quantities," Van Houten said.
Peel police, along with Halton police are going door-to-door asking residents within the kilometre radius to stay inside.
The facility uses chillers that use ammonia as a cooling agent in its freezer room, Van Houten said. The freezer room has been isolated from the main plant.
Steeles Avenue is closed from Tenth Line to Heritage Road, while Winston Churchill Boulevard is closed south of Embleton Road to north of Highway 407.
Global News