Chlorine Gas Leak Prompts Downtown Austin Building Evacuation

AUSTIN, TX — A downtown Austin building was evacuated on Wednesday amid reports of a chorine gas leak, officials said.

Austin-Travis County EMS medics and fire officials were dispatched to the 500 block of West 11th Street just before 3:40 p.m. amid reports of the accidental gas release. Via Twitter, medics said one patient was transported to Dell Seton Medical Center for non-life-threatening injuries.

Medics later reported a second patient was treated at the scene before declining a ride to the hospital.

Fire officials closed off 11th Street between Guadalupe and Nueces streets to accommodate Hazmat (hazardous materials) crews and medics. Emergency crews urge residents to avoid the area for the time being.

Fire officials later reported barrels of hypochlorite (industrial bleach) at the site were capped, and the building was being ventilated to disperse residual fumes.

Medics indicated no further information would be forthcoming unless the situation substantively changes.

The combination of bleach (sodium hypochlorite) with acid produces chlorine gas, a heavy green-yellow gas with a strong odor, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information website. Chlorine gas has also been used as an industrial solvent and has other industrial uses such as the production of bulk materials, bleached paper products, plastics such as PVC, and solvents, according to the site.