Police say several patients remain in intensive care after a tanker released anhydrous ammonia in Weatherford.
WEATHERFORD, Okla. — A tanker truck parked behind a Holiday Inn Express began leaking anhydrous ammonia late Wednesday, sending at least 45 people to hospitals and prompting evacuations across this western Oklahoma city, authorities said Thursday.
Officials said the leak started around 10 p.m. Wednesday in the hotel’s parking lot about 70 miles west of Oklahoma City. Weatherford police and fire crews moved door to door as a visible cloud spread, and a shelter-in-place for nearby neighborhoods was later lifted Thursday morning. The Environmental Protection Agency and Oklahoma National Guard teams monitored the site, while local hospitals received patients with chemical exposures. Investigators said the release appears accidental and likely tied to a mechanical failure on the tanker. Cleanup and environmental testing continued into the evening as crews worked to keep the area safe.
Police Chief Angelo Orefice said five people were airlifted to hospitals in the Oklahoma City area and that several patients remained in intensive care Thursday. Fourteen officers were exposed to the gas, and five of them suffered chemical burns to their airways, he said. The driver is believed to have parked the truck to get a room at the hotel before the leak began. First responders set up three casualty collection points while they moved residents and guests out of the immediate area. “We pretty much got a lot of this stuff diluted right now,” Orefice said at a morning briefing, adding that crews were coordinating disposal steps with federal regulators.
The tanker was carrying 25,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a concentrated fertilizer that can burn skin and lungs and cause severe respiratory distress at high levels. The EPA said it was notified early Thursday and deployed air, water and soil monitoring around the hotel and nearby drainage. Continuous community air sampling showed no ammonia in residential areas by midday, according to officials. Responders sprayed water to knock down the vapor, then flushed the parking lot and adjacent grass. Roughly 2.4 million gallons of water were used to wash the area, which flowed into a storm drain and a nearby creek. Crews built a berm in the drainage ditch to prevent further migration while sampling continued.
City officials said hundreds of people evacuated from neighborhoods and businesses around the hotel Wednesday night as the cloud drifted. Others were told to shelter in place and to turn off HVAC systems until readings improved. By sunrise, the shelter-in-place was lifted and firefighters began escorting some hotel guests back to recover belongings. No deaths were reported as of Thursday evening. At least 45 people were hospitalized, including five flown out, and dozens more were treated at staging areas. Police said many first responders were treated at the scene and released. The majority of patients were in stable condition by late afternoon, authorities said.
Airgas Specialty Products owns the tanker, according to regulators, and the company said the release was contained while its crews assisted with monitoring and cleanup. Investigators were examining a valve and gaskets for signs of failure. Weatherford Fire Chief Kory Selman said the truck was no longer leaking by Thursday morning, allowing teams to focus on decontamination and testing. The EPA said surrounding soil measured a pH of 10 near the site, a level officials expect to neutralize naturally over a short period. Sampling of a nearby creek remained within the range typical for the local ecosystem, according to the agency.
Ammonia is widely used in agriculture across Oklahoma and the Plains, and similar leaks have led to hospitalizations in other states in recent years. Weatherford, a city of roughly 13,000 along Interstate 40, hosts a mix of highway hotels and oilfield traffic, and officials said the truck driver had stopped there overnight. The incident briefly closed several nearby businesses and led to school schedule disruptions, according to local authorities. Residents described stinging eyes and coughing as the plume moved through open lots and across the hotel façade. Firefighters in protective gear guided evacuees from hallways and knocked on doors at adjacent properties while hazmat teams set up perimeter readings.
Police said the release is being treated as accidental while investigators document the tanker and interview the driver and witnesses. City leaders planned additional briefings once lab results and equipment inspections are complete. Environmental crews expected to remain at the hotel parking lot for several days while the area dries and follow-up samples come back. Officials said they would update hospitalization numbers and the condition of injured officers as hospitals report overnight changes. If regulators identify a specific failed part, the findings will be forwarded to state and federal agencies that oversee hazardous materials transport.
Guests milled in nearby lots Thursday, some carrying suitcases that firefighters had retrieved from upper floors. Michael Johnson, a Texas oilfield worker staying at the hotel, said he heard a pop and then smelled a sharp odor before seeing the cloud in the lot. “The smell itself punched me,” Johnson said. Hotel windows were broken by guests trying to escape as fumes filled hallways, authorities said. Business owners gathered at a shopping center just beyond the perimeter, watching crews in masks rotate in and out of the scene while National Guard specialists logged air readings on tablets.
By Thursday night, testing showed normal air readings in surrounding neighborhoods and the immediate scene remained cordoned off for cleanup. Officials said the next update would come after additional sampling and equipment inspection results are reviewed Friday.
Author note: Last updated November 13, 2025.