Firefighters responded to a hydrogen gas leak Thursday at a fruit processing plant in Baldwinsville that sent one person to the hospital.
At 7:26 a.m. on August 15, 2024, the Syracuse (NY) Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team was requested to assist units from the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Department on a suspected hazardous materials release. Belgium-Cold Springs firefighters were investigating an alarm activation with report of people feeling ill at a commercial fruit processing plant at 8864 Sixty Road. Units requested Syracuse Fire’s hazmat team to respond after arriving at the scene and investigating the reported alarm activation.
Based at Syracuse Fire Station 5 on N. Geddes St., the hazmat team responded to the scene and was briefed on arrival by county units at the scene. Crews took this information and were able to formulate a plan for investigating the potential issue. Crews donned protective equipment, including self-contained breathing apparatus, and entered the structure. Employees at the plant had reported feeling ill and suspected a leak of some kind in one specific area of the plant.
Hazmat team members entered the plant with specialized metering equipment and were able to determine the area of origin for the leak. Further testing and air monitoring allowed them to trace the specific source of the issue back to a battery-powered forklift being charged inside. The battery on the forklift was charging and began off-gassing hydrogen gas. This type of issue can arise when a lead-acid battery becomes overcharged or otherwise impaired while charging. Crews disconnected the power to the unit, and the issue resolved.
The leak was contained within the facility, and there was no danger to the public or the surrounding area. Two employees at the facility who reported feeling ill were evaluated at the scene by emergency medical personnel. One was released at the scene, and one was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation. There were no injuries reported to fire departmet personnel.
Syracuse Fire hazmat was involved in the incident for nearly two hours. Once the leak was located, and the hazard mitigated, Syracuse Fire units turned the scene back over to representatives from the Belgium-Cold Springs Fire Department and Onondaga County Emergency Management.
The Syracuse Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team is the primary Hazardous Materials Response Team for all of Onondaga County. They are Type 1 team and are capable of responding anywhere in a three-county area, according to a release from the department.
