On Wednesday morning, June 11, employees at Austin Powder’s Red Diamond Plant near Zaleski were forced to evacuate after a release of a chemical compound known as “nitrogen oxide” occurred. This led to nearby township residents as well as residents of the Village of Zaleski also fleeing for safety.
Austin Powder is a leader in the manufacture, distribution, and application of industrial explosives for quarrying, surface mining, underground mining, oil and gas, seismic, and construction markets. The plant is located at 32000 Powder Plant Road, which is northeast of McArthur.
The chemical release incident in Vinton County drew news coverage from local, state and even national news outlets. Since then, Austin Powder has provided The Telegram with an update on the situation, which concluded at 4:34 p.m. the same day it began.
According to Austin Powder, the release was caused by the “decomposition” of nitric acid in a 5,000-gallon storage tank due to elevated temperatures. The company noted that most importantly, the nitric acid remained fully contained throughout the event — there were no leaks or spills of the acid. However, a “modest amount” of nitrogen oxide gas was safely vented through the plant’s built-in safety systems, which operated as they were designed to do in an event of this nature. Austin Powder reported that this was considered a “controlled release” and prevented more serious consequences. This triggered the company’s emergency response protocols.
As of Friday, June 13, the company recapped in a news release issued Friday afternoon that the nitrogen oxide gas had ceased on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 11. Following the incident there have been no injuries or adverse health effects reported. The company reports that air quality modeling at the fence line confirms that nitrogen oxide gas levels remain below health-hazard thresholds.
Austin Powder says that the plant remains “stable” and under continued observation. The company is working in close coordination with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, local authorities, and first responders to ensure comprehensive environmental assessments are completed. The company news release mentioned that the “safety of our employees and community remains our highest priority.”
In response to this incident, Austin Powder has taken a number of steps, including a full internal investigation to determine the root cause of the temperature rise that led to the gas release, implementing any necessary engineering and procedural changes to prevent recurrence, and proactively reviewing similar nitric acid storage systems across all company sites as a precautionary safety measure.
Austin Powder tells The Telegram that the company is giving paid time off to affected employees during the temporary plant closure and reimbursing employees and community members for qualified expenses related to the incident.
Additionally, for residents who were inconvenienced by the evacuation, Austin Powder will reimburse verified, reasonable expenses incurred. Please contact Austin Powder at 216-839-5469 or [email protected] to submit a claim.
Austin Powder recognizes the concern this incident has caused and is committed to transparency and proactive communication. The company is continuing to engage with local officials and will provide additional updates as warranted.
Pending final safety and regulatory reviews, Austin Powder anticipates the Red Diamond Plant in Vinton County could resume full operation as soon as Monday, June 16, but it could be later in the week.
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