Emergency officials expanded an evacuation to one mile late Tuesday night, October 20, after a hazardous materials release at a facility at 1050 Progress Avenue in north Toledo, according to Toledo Fire & Rescue and the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency. Anyone within one mile of the address was told in a public safety alert to evacuate immediately. The facility was identified in emergency broadcasts and local coverage as Sterling Pipe & Tube, near Enterprise Boulevard and Matzinger Road.
The alert marked an escalation of the response through the evening. Toledo Fire initially advised residents to evacuate within a half-mile radius of 1050 Progress Avenue, near Enterprise Boulevard, as hazmat crews responded to the scene. A later public safety update from Toledo Fire said the evacuation had been expanded from one-half mile to one mile, and local television stations WTOL 11 and 13abc both reported the wider zone late Tuesday night.
Hazmat, rescue and fire units were dispatched to the plant on Enterprise Boulevard on Tuesday night, and responders reported air monitoring was in progress as they assessed the release. Photographs shared by 13abc from the area showed a large plume rising above the treeline in north Toledo and rows of Toledo Fire & Rescue trucks and ambulances staged nearby, with the Northwest Ohio hazmat response team among the units at the scene.
Road closures were reported around the evacuation area as police helped push the evacuation message out in the immediate area. Local coverage reported intersections including Stickney Avenue and Matzinger Road and Benore Road and Matzinger Road being shut down, and drivers were urged to avoid the north Toledo area around Progress Avenue and Enterprise Boulevard while crews worked.
Officials had not publicly identified the material involved in the release as of late Tuesday night, and no injuries had been confirmed in the official alerts and local coverage available at publication. Those details, along with any information about what caused the release, had not been released by Toledo Fire, the Lucas County EMA or the company in the initial reports.
Residents inside the one-mile zone were directed to leave immediately and follow instructions from Toledo Fire, Toledo police and Lucas County emergency officials, who were coordinating the emergency notification through the public alert system. Toledo Fire spokesperson Pvt. Sheldon Collins told WTOL 11 that shelters had been opened at the Meijer on Alexis Road and at Shoreland Elementary School for people leaving the zone, and that the facility itself had been evacuated. Anyone outside the zone who could smell or see effects from the release was advised by the nature of the alerts to stay clear of the area and monitor official updates rather than approaching the scene.
The response was continuing late Tuesday night, with air monitoring underway and the evacuation in effect until officials determine the area is safe. Further updates on the size of the zone, the material involved and when residents can return were expected from Toledo Fire & Rescue and the Lucas County Emergency Management Agency as the incident develops.