STANWOOD — A firefighter was injured, traffic was backed up for miles, and businesses were shut down for nearly nine hours Tuesday after someone reportedly tried to steal ammonia from North Star Cold Storage.
Fire and police officials believe someone broke off a valve on a 6,000-gallon tank outside the seafood processing plant in the 27100 block of Pioneer Highway.
It wasn’t the first time the tanks have been targeted, Stanwood firefighter Scott Johnston said. There have been at least two other attempts.
Anhydrous ammonia, a commercial refrigerant, is used to illegally manufacture methamphetamine, and ammonia thefts have been common in recent years.
For example, about 1,500 people were evacuated two years ago after someone tried to steal anhydrous ammonia from the Twin City Foods plant in Arlington.
Businesses have been forced to increase security around ammonia storage tanks. North Star Cold Storage placed steel covers over the valves, and a 10-foot chain-link fence surrounds the tanks.
"Meth cooks are resourceful. They’ll do whatever they can," Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Wynn Holdal said.
Ammonia thefts actually have declined in recent months, said Mark Richardson, a sergeant with the Snohomish Regional Drug Task Force.
"They used to be a lot more common," he said. "A huge portion of meth labs are manufacturing their own ammonia" using dry ice.
However, police believe Tuesday’s burglary was the result of someone’s drug addiction.
"We’re very sure someone intended to use it to manufacture meth. There is no other use for that grade of ammonia," Holdal said.
Just before 6 a.m. Tuesday, witnesses reported smelling ammonia and seeing a cloud of gas on the north side of the building, Stanwood firefighter Rob Buchanan said.
The Snohomish County Regional Hazmat Team was called to handle the gas. Ammonia can cause serious illness and can be fatal in high concentrations.
A Marysville firefighter was treated for minor injuries after he was exposed to the gas through a leak in his protective suit. He was taken to a local hospital, treated and released a short time later, Buchanan said.
Hazmat technicians were able to partially shut off the valve to limit the amount of ammonia being released, Buchanan said. It isn’t clear how much ammonia was lost.
A crew was called in to transfer the ammonia to another tank until the broken valve could be repaired.
Pioneer Highway between Highway 532 and Cedarhome Drive N. was closed until 2:45 p.m. No homes were evacuated, but several nearby businesses were shut down for the day.
Many employees of those businesses waited helplessly at barricades near the intersection of Florence Drive and 271st Street NW, wondering when they could go to work.
Rafael Garcia of Stanwood and Pedro Rodriguez of Lake Stevens waited more than two hours to get to their jobs. Garcia works at Roy N. Carlson’s bulk transport business, while Rodriguez works at Twin City Collision.
"I don’t know if they’re going to pay for the hours," Garcia said.
"Yeah, cause we’re here, you know?" Rodriguez said, nodding.
Ed Tanis, Dwayne Kolar and Andy Lowell, who work at Wolfkill Feed, worried about how many truckloads of feed would get backed up on their schedule.
"A couple of loads are probably not going to get out," Tanis said. "We got two out this morning" before the closure.
"This will set everything back two days," Kolar said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@heraldnet.com.
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