Editor’s Note: Updates with fire officials saying it was a “small spill” and about 40 people were told to either evacuate or remain indoors. The spill has been contained.
Palm Bay police and fire crews responded to a “small spill” on June 23 at the FAR Research plant, the third incident to take place at the plant since 2020.
The spill was reported by a chemical plant employee at about 4 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, near Wihelmina Court in the northeast section of the city. It prompted about 30 to 40 people from areas north of the plant to be either evacuated or told to remain indoors.
“There was a leak, a bit of an off gas situation but there was no rupture,” said John Ringleb, assistant fire chief at Palm Bay Fire Rescue. “It was a small spill and is contained by safety measures with a small amount of vapor rather than a free-flowing liquid.”
Ringleb said the chemical spill had been contained, and that evacuation and shelter orders would be lifted in the near future.
Multiple Palm Bay Fire Rescue units and police had been dispatched to the area, located off of Robert J. Conlan Boulevard. There was no explosion, police reported.
Police issued a reverse 9-1-1 call to nearby residents, many who live in newly built apartment complexes and duplexes a short distance from the chemical plant. The call said the spill was “potentially hazardous,” and ordered evacuations and a shelter-in-place alert as a precaution.
The businesses and homes evacuated were within a half-mile radius of the spill, including Kingswood on the northern side of the plant, impacting about 30 to 40 people, Ringleb said. An electrical business and a plumbing business were among those evacuated.
There were no reports of injuries.
It was not immediately known what kind of chemical was involved.
FAR plant had previous incidents
In September 2025, an orange mist escaped from the plant. The gas was made up of vaporized bromine — toxic to humans, officials later said.
Some 10 gallons of the chemical leaked into the atmosphere. At least three people at the FAR Research plant were taken to nearby Holmes Regional Medical Center in private vehicles before fire rescue crews arrived, Brevard County Emergency Management officials had said at the time. No one else was injured.
In September 2020, an explosion and fire rattled the plant and the surrounding neighborhood, sending smoke into the sky. No one was injured in that incident, fire officials reported.
In 2008, a 60-year-old worker was killed after a pipe ruptured.
Check back for details.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: ‘Small spill’ at chemical plant in Palm Bay led to some evacuations
Reporting by J.D. Gallop, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By J.D. Gallop, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
