Roseville, CA January 14, 2012 at-4:41pm. The Roseville Fire Department responded to a report of an odor of chlorine in the Union Pacific J.R. Davis Yard. 1 engine, 1 truck company, 1 hazardous materials unit, and 1 battalion chief responded to the scene.
Chlorine gas is a heavy, yellow poisonous gas that causes suffocation even at low levels. It is widely used in commerce and is frequently transported over the road and rail to its point of use.
Firefighters arrived and confirmed the presence of a dangerous level of chlorine gas in the area. Firefighters donned specialized haz mat suits and located the source which was a leaking valve on a 30,000 gallon railcar. Firefighters worked for over 4 hours and made multiple entries into the danger zone to apply a specialized chlorine leak repair kit to the railcar in order to halt the leak. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were required.