Scene cleared after South Philly blocks were evacuated following strong smell of bleach and ammonia, officials say
By the afternoon, the scene had been cleared, and the situation was not hazardous, a fire department spokesperson said.
Residents from three blocks in South Philadelphia’s Point Breeze neighborhood were evacuated in a hazmat incident after reports of a strong chemical smell late Friday morning, police said. By the afternoon, the scene had been cleared, and the situation was not hazardous, a fire department spokesperson said.
At 11:13 a.m., Philadelphia police and firefighters responded to the 1200 block of South 22nd Street due to a possible neighbor dispute and smells of bleach and ammonia, police said. Residents were evacuated from three nearby blocks as counterterrorism, SWAT, and hazmat teams investigated the scene.
Police said they tried to contact a man in a property on South 22nd Street, and after unsuccessful attempts, briefly declared a barricade.
By 2:30 p.m., the scene had been cleared with negative results, police said. It was not immediately clear what caused the smell, but the situation wasn’t hazardous, according to Rachel Cunningham, the fire department’s communications director.
And by Friday afternoon, there was little sign of the morning’s commotion, with the street reopened and the last bits of crime tape removed by police. Several members of the fire department remained on the scene.