Chlorine Leak Forces Evacuations In Monongahela

About 30 homes were evacuated in Monongahela Thursday evening after a chlorine tank at a nearby business began to leak.

Hazmat crews responded to Metal Management on East Railroad Street shortly after 5 p.m.

A 150-pound tank containing chlorine leaked in the junkyard.

As a precaution, crews evacuated nearby homes.

"You could smell the chlorine. It was just like opening up a Chlorox bottle and putting your nose on it," said one woman who was forced out of her home.

Firefighters doused the leaking tank to dilute the chemical.

Residents were allowed to return to their homes by 7:30 p.m.

No one was hurt.

Investigators said the chlorine was released when a sheerer machine grabbed the tank and knocked the valve head off.