Shortly after 2 p.m. today, drivers in Tualatin called 911 to report a white cloud of gas spanning a portion of Tualatin-Sherwood Road near Southwest Teton Avenue. TVF&R’s HazMat team was quickly dispatched to assess and mitigate the suspected gas leak. Crews arrived to find a small plume overhead and white gas drifted across the roadway. The Hazmat team took readings, surveyed the area, and determined that the gas was a carbon dioxide (CO₂) leak.
Neighboring businesses and some vehicles on the road were instructed to evacuate or shelter in place based on their level of risk. Our hazardous material crews then located the source, which was determined to be a storage tank at Matheson, a nearby gas packaging facility. Working with employees from Matheson, HazMat crews located the appropriate shut-off valve at the facility and stopped the leak.
After closing the valve, the cloud dissipated allowing evacuations to be lifted and traffic to resume. There were no reports of injuries or adverse effects from the release of the gas. TVF&R is grateful for the assistance of Tualatin Police and Sherwood Police who assisted with evacuations and road closures while crews worked to stop the leak.