39 Hospitalized After Toxic Ammonia Gas Leak Behind Hotel

“It was a spicy smell—people couldn’t breathe,” one witness said as first responders rushed in.

A quiet Wednesday night in Weatherford, Oklahoma, turned into a chemical emergency when a tanker truck began leaking toxic ammonia gas behind a Holiday Inn, sending dozens to the hospital and forcing hundreds to flee their homes.

Officials say at least 36 people were hospitalized—11 in critical condition—after the gas plume spread across the area. Nearly 1,000 residents were evacuated, and another 500 were told to shelter in place.

“It was a spicy smell, very spicy smell,” said one hotel guest, describing the moments before emergency sirens blared. “We went outside, and people were coughing, saying they couldn’t breathe. That’s when we realized something was really wrong.”

The leak was reported around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, in the hotel parking lot just off Interstate 40. Police and firefighters in hazmat suits rushed to the scene as a cloud of gas drifted over nearby neighborhoods.

The Weatherford Police Department issued an immediate shelter-in-place alert.
“Residents east of Washington Street, south of Davis Avenue, and north of Main Street are urged to remain indoors, turn off air conditioning, and seal windows,” the department warned that night.

By Thursday morning, authorities said the air quality had improved enough to lift the order. “Residents can return home at this time,” officials said, advising anyone exposed to “remove clothing and wash thoroughly with soap and water.”

Police Chief Angel Orefice said investigators are still trying to determine what caused the leak. “Right now, the best we can tell, it was either a mechanical valve failure or a faulty seal,” Orefice told reporters. “There’s no indication this was intentional.”

He said the truck driver, who parked behind the hotel for the night, is cooperating with investigators. “From what we understand, he checked in for a room and discovered the leak shortly after,” Orefice added.

The Environmental Protection Agency is now working with local fire officials on decontamination efforts that could take several days. “We pretty much got a lot of the stuff diluted,” the chief said. “Now we’re working with the EPA on how to properly dispose of everything.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that ammonia exposure can cause severe coughing, eye irritation, abdominal pain, and—in high concentrations—death.

Witnesses said the chaos unfolded quickly in the small city of about 12,000 residents. “People were running, holding their faces, crying,” said a nearby diner employee. “You could smell it in the air—it burned your throat.”

Businesses were told to request air-quality checks from firefighters stationed at the incident command post in a nearby Taco Bell parking lot.

By Thursday afternoon, life in Weatherford was beginning to return to normal—but questions lingered. “We’re just lucky it happened when it did,” one resident said. “If it were the weekend with more people here, it could’ve been a disaster.”