Residents of Kansas town told to shelter in place after chemical spill

A fog believed by authorities to contain chemicals in Atchison, Kansas A fog believed by authorities to contain chemicals in Atchison, Kansas. Debi Williams/Handout via REUTERS

(Reuters) – Residents in the town of Atchison, Kansas, were being advised by city and county officials on Friday to stay indoors after the spill of an unknown chemical at a facility in the town.

“There has been an incident. Until further notice, close all your windows, turn off your air and furnaces, and stay indoors,” the city of Atchison said in a statement on social media.

City officials could not be reached for further comment. It was unclear what type of chemical had spilled.

The city’s post said the incident occurred at “MGP” without giving further details but MGP Ingredients, a supplier of distilled spirits and specialty wheat protein and starches, is located in the town, according to the company’s website.

The company could not immediately be reached for comment.

The county’s emergency management division called the incident a chemical spill in a separate post.

Susan Myers, superintendent for Atchison Public Schools, said in a telephone interview that schools in the town were being evacuated.

(Reporting by Timothy Mclaughlin in Chicago and Ben Klayman in Detroit; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Bill Trott)

Leave a Reply

To have your avatar appear when commenting, please signup for the Gravatar service. Your email address will not be published.

 characters available

To have your avatar appear when commenting, please signup for the Gravatar service.