Local
Ammonia Scare Shuts Down Raynham Ice Rink; Hazmat Team Detects Elevated Levels
A fire alarm at a Raynham ice rink led firefighters to discover a flashing ammonia alarm, prompting a state hazmat response that found elevated ammonia levels near the mechanical room. The rink is closed, no injuries were reported, and officials are asking the public to stay away as crews work to isolate the suspected leak.
RAYNHAM â An ice rink on Broadway was shut down and a state hazardous materials team called in Wednesday afternoon after firefighters responding to a routine alarm discovered a suspected ammonia leak, according to the Raynham Fire Department.
Crews were dispatched to the rink at 1568 Broadway around 1:50 p.m. after a smoke detector activated in the building's mechanical room, Fire Chief Bryan LaCivita said. While investigating, firefighters noticed an ammonia alarm flashing and requested assistance from the Massachusetts Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Division.
The state team detected elevated ammonia levels near the mechanical room, and crews were working Wednesday to isolate the source of the suspected leak. The rink remained closed as of Wednesday evening, and no injuries had been reported.
LaCivita asked the public to stay away from the area while the operation continued. The cause of the leak is under investigation.
Ammonia is widely used as a refrigerant in ice rinks and other large cooling systems. In concentrated form it can irritate the eyes, skin and respiratory tract, which is why rink operators rely on detection systems and why fire departments treat activated ammonia alarms as hazardous-materials incidents until the source is confirmed and contained.
The response remained active Wednesday, and officials said additional information would be released as it becomes available.