SAN ANTONIO, Texas – More than 100 New Braunfels residents are finally back home after spending the night away due to a chemical leak at a nearby business.
According to the New Braunfels Fire Department, ammonia began leaking from a tank inside New Braunfels Smokehouse’s food production plant late Monday night.
The fire department posted a notice on social media around 9 p.m. that it was evacuating homes and businesses within two-tenths of a mile from the plant, located in the 400 block of N. Guenther.
Garrett Matocha, who lives just a few blocks away, found out about the evacuation in person.
“We just got knocks on the doors from the officers saying to evacuate the premises and to take our animals,” he said.
Matocha quickly loaded up his truck and went to spend the night at a relative’s home.
Workers at the plant also were evacuated and sent home.
Police, meanwhile, put up barricades and stood watch in the area all night long, while firefighters addressed the ammonia leak.
Finally, around 6 a.m., they gave the all-clear, allowing residents to return home.
The fire department says the evacuation was a precautionary measure, and that no one was hurt.
“A huge inconvenience. We got, like, a few hours of sleep and that’s it,” Matocha said, after returning home. “This is the one night I actually was trying to go to sleep early.”
Workers arriving for the early shift Tuesday morning found out they also would be going home.
A manager who was on-site confirmed that the plant was still closed. However, he said “a representative of the company” would have to answer any other questions.
As of late Tuesday morning, no one from the company had responded to a request for a statement.
It is unclear when the plant will reopen.