TAGUIG City Mayor Lani Cayetano ordered the suspension of classes at Ricardo P. Cruz, Sr. Elementary School while some residents were forced to leave their homes to seek shelter at evacuation site following a reported ammonia leak in an ice plant in Barangay Lower Bicutan on Monday morning.

The Taguig City Rescue and the Bureau of Fire Protection immediately went to the area along Villa Salud, M.L. Quezon Street, Brgy. Lower Bicutan, upon receiving a report of an ammonia leak at around 7 a.m., at the Daizuki Tube Ice.

The ice plant is located just a few meters away from the school,

The mayor said classes were suspended at around 8 a.m. to ensure the safety of the students. Roads leading to the affected areas were promptly blocked to prevent people from approaching.

The City Social Welfare and Development Office (SWDO), meanwhile, assisted affected residents in relocating to the designated evacuation site at Hagonoy Gymnasium.

The Taguig Rescue, BFP NCR, and PNP Explosive Ordnance Disposal (PNP EOD) team conducted a joint investigation, assessing the ammonia levels, and monitoring wind direction in the area.

Operations Chief of Taguig City Fire Department Chief Insp. Demetrio Sablan said workers of the ice plant claimed that they were conducting preventive maintenance when one of the hoses suddenly splattered which caused the leak of some 300 kilos of ammonia.

The local government also established an incident command, post responsible for providing real-time updates on the situation in the affected area of the ammonia leak, at the medical bay in front of R.P. Cruz Sr. Elementary School.

The Taguig City Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has declared the ammonia leak has been successfully contained at around 10 a.m. after all the valves were shut off.

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Edd Reyes