Tualatin fire crews shut off carbon dioxide leak that caused a white cloud
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A mysterious gas cloud that blanketed a stretch of road in Tualatin has been identified as a carbon dioxide leak, with fire crews locating and shutting off its source Wednesday afternoon.
Around 2:30 p.m., the mist covering a portion of SW Tualatin-Sherwood Rd near SW Teton Ave. was originally described by Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue on X (formerly Twitter) as an “unknown, visible gas cloud.”
Tualatin Fire and Rescue located and shut off a carbon dioxide leak that caused a white cloud to appear on a road. January 17, 2024 (courtesy TVF&R). Tualatin Fire and Rescue located and shut off a carbon dioxide leak that caused a white cloud to appear on a road. January 17, 2024 (courtesy TVF&R). Tualatin Fire and Rescue located and shut off a carbon dioxide leak that caused a white cloud to appear on a road. January 17, 2024 (courtesy TVF&R).
Several businesses were then asked to evacuate in Tualatin as fire crews and a HazMat team responded. The road was closed off and the public was asked to avoid the area.
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After 4 p.m., the source of the plume of white gas that drifted across the roadway was located and the vapor was identified as carbon dioxide. The source was a leak of a storage tank at Matheson, a local gas packaging facility, officials said.
HazMat crews were able to locate the shut-off valve at the facility and stop the leak, allowing for the remaining mist to dissipate. Soon after that, evacuations were lifted and traffic was allowed to return.
There were no reports of injuries or adverse effects from the gas. In a statement, TV&R thanked the Tualatin Police and Sherwood Police for assisting in the evacuations while crews located and shut off the source of the leak.
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