FROM CBS NEWS: A chemical spill injured dozens of people, some seriously, and forced hundreds to evacuate from a western Oklahoma city on Wednesday night, according to local officials.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. local time in Weatherford, Oklahoma, where an 8,500-gallon tanker truck began leaking toxic ammonia, Weatherford Police Chief Angelo Orefice told CBS News on Thursday morning. Responding crews stopped the leak, he said.
The truck was parked in the lot outside of a Holiday Inn Express hotel, said Weatherford Emergency Manager Mike Karlin at a news conference streamed by CBS affiliate KWTV. When first responders arrived at the scene, they found people in respiratory distress and exiting the hotel, according to the emergency manager.
“As the event unfolded, we had a large plume of anhydrous ammonia gas spread over a pretty large area,” Karlin said.
Karlin estimated that between 500 and 600 people were displaced from the hotel and personal residences. Orefice said the number was between 300 and 500.
The pair agreed that approximately 36 people became ill enough to seek medical attention at hospitals, with Orefice stating that 11 of them were transported to a regional hospital by first responders, and that four people whose conditions were considered critical were flown to Oklahoma City for treatment.
TOXIC FUMES: Ammonia gas leak from tanker in Oklahoma prompts hundreds of evacuations and sends dozens to hospitals, officials sayhttps://t.co/X98umN4nWb
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 13, 2025
BREAKING: An ammonia leak in an Oklahoma hotel parking lot sent dozens of people to the hospital.https://t.co/KfR0hyXbFA #Oklahoma #chemicalleak #ammonia pic.twitter.com/BIJCLdYnPd
— 4029news (@4029news) November 13, 2025
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