Martin County Fire Rescue reported evacuating a building April 26 after finding an argon gas leak, the agency stated.
Crews about 7:20 a.m. April 26 went to an EB Airfoils warehouse in the 3500 block of Southwest Deggeller Court in Palm City for a reported gas leak.
The address is just west of Florida’s Turnpike and north of Southwest Martin Highway.
A 1,000-gallon tank reportedly was “spewing argon gas.”
Five employees were evacuated, and no one was injured, according to Jillian Kay, Fire Rescue spokesperson.
“Companies like EB Airfoils would use argon gas mainly because it’s an inert (non-reactive) shielding gas, which is extremely useful in high-precision metalwork, especially for aerospace parts where material integrity is critical,” Kay stated.
Fire rescue’s hazardous materials team evacuated the building and began “securing the leak.”
“Crews shut off gas to the building and monitored the air for other hazards,” the agency stated. “No other threats were found, and MCFR turned the building back over to its owner for further inspection.”
Argon gas is used in a variety of applications, including welding.
Argon gas is odorless and colorless and reduces levels of oxygen in an environment, Kay stated.
Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Building in Florida evacuated after argon gas leak
Reporting by Will Greenlee, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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