Toledo Fire & Rescue cut the evacuation zone to a half-mile radius around 1266 Progress Ave. and ended the three-mile shelter-in-place order Wednesday evening after a hazardous material release that began Tuesday night. The change loosened the emergency rules that had spread across nearby neighborhoods, schools and businesses.
The search around WTOL school closures is tied to the same incident. Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools both canceled classes for the day after crews first responded just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, and the disruption reached beyond the classroom as surrounding businesses were evacuated and buses were sent to help move people out of the area.
Sheldon Collins, who was at the scene, said a tank was leaking on the ground outside the facility. The chemical was glycidyl methacrylate, and the U.S. EPA said it was coming from a 5,500-gallon tank after an error during transfer. Officials said it was flammable, and one sheriff’s deputy went to the hospital to be checked out, though his condition was not serious.
The evacuation zone covered Raintree Village mobile home park and the Alexis Addition neighborhood, and Washington Township officials evacuated Raintree Village residents. People were told they could go to Shoreland Elementary, while the Red Cross and TARTA buses were staged at Meijer on East Alexis to transport residents from the area. No other injuries or deaths were reported.
The part that did not fit neatly was the timing. City officials said Wednesday afternoon they would let the reaction complete and that the chemical release could continue for several more hours, yet Toledo Fire & Rescue still ended the shelter-in-place order that evening. That left the immediate public warning over even as crews continued to deal with what was left inside the tank.
Glycidyl methacrylate is used to help certain plastics, paints and coatings perform better, but it is also an irritant and a long-term carcinogen. For residents near Progress Ave., the urgent question now is not whether the order was lifted — it was — but how much of the leak remained after the restrictions came off and when the site will be fully stable.
