(BEACH PARK, Ill.) — Authorities say 31 people have been taken to hospitals after anhydrous ammonia leaked from containers that a tractor was pulling in a Chicago suburb.
Lake County Sheriff’s spokesman Christopher Covelli said Thursday that the number of hospitalized includes three law enforcement officers who are in good condition. Covelli says several others are in serious but stable condition.
Authorities say the leak happened at about 4:30 a.m. Thursday and causing toxic plumes of the chemical to be released in the air over Beach Park, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of downtown Chicago.
Authorities initially asked any residents within a 1-mile radius of the leak to close their windows and remain indoors. Covelli says that shelter-in-place order has been lifted.
