Six people are dead and four others remain hospitalized following a liquid nitrogen leak at a meat processing plant in Gainesville.
The chemical line ruptured around 10 a.m. Thursday at the Foundation Food Group processing plant – formerly Prime Pak Foods – on Memorial Park Drive in Gainesville. Hall County Fire Division Chief Zachary Brackett said at a press conference Thursday that five of the victims died at the scene. Another died at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville where the injured patients were taken.
In all, emergency personnel transported twelve patients to the hospital. As of late Thursday night, three remained critical, one was in fair condition and seven others were treated and released, according to Northeast Georgia Health System spokesperson Sean Couch.
Three Gainesville firefighters were among those released. They complained of difficulty breathing and were taken to the hospital for observation. City officials say all three have been cleared to return to work for their next scheduled shift with no restrictions.
“While relieved to report these men are safe, city officials remain devastated by the news of six fatalities and others critically injured,” the Gainesville government posted to social media. “We send our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families and loved ones.”
Hall County school buses transported at least 130 people to Free Chapel church to be evaluated by medical personnel.
Despite initial reports on social media, Brackett says there was not an explosion at the plant. The cause of the leak remains under investigation.
“The Hall County Sheriff’s Office is handling the death investigation, the Georgia State Fire Marshal’s Office and OSHA are on scene in an investigatory capacity, as well,” Brackett told reporters during a mid-afternoon press conference.
Lockdown and prayers lifted
Students at nearby Lyman Hall Elementary School were put under a shelter-in-place order until around 1 p.m. Thursday. Memorial Park Drive was closed to traffic immediately following the incident.
The shelter in place order for LHES is lifted. Memorial Park Rd now open. Buses will dismiss at usual time but could be delays. Parents pls receive your children at the bus stop. Many thx to 1st responders, law enforcement, the team at LHES, and district personnel. #hall_schools
— Hall County Schools (@Hall_Schools) January 28, 2021
Due to the severity of the spill and the fact that many people were still receiving medical attention at various locations throughout the county, the Hall County School System required parents and guardians to meet their students at the bus stop as they unloaded. Those students whose parents were not present were returned to their schools and supervised until they could be reunited with their families.
Hall County School spokesperson Stan Lewis says 23 students were returned to school. “We believe most have since been connected with family members,” he tells Now Habersham. “Our crisis management teams from student services will be working with school counselors to provide support for families, students, and staff as we deal with this tragedy.”
Hall County Schools’ crisis management team assisted this afternoon with employees impacted by the incident.
Governor Brian Kemp issued a statement Thursday offering his condolences to the families of those who were injured and lost loved ones:
“Our hearts are broken hearing about the tragedy that took place at Prime Pak Foods in Gainesville this morning. Officials from the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, the Office of Insurance and Safety Fire, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration are on the ground to assist with the local response and investigations into the incident. Marty, the girls, and I ask all Georgians to join us in praying for the families facing a terrible loss and the other employees who are receiving medical care. May God be a hand of peace, comfort, and healing in the days ahead.”
https://t.co/HktI7rbdCv pic.twitter.com/PZI3Idld1r
— Governor Brian P. Kemp (@GovKemp) January 28, 2021
