Idaho Falls Parking Lot Evacuated

Hazmat, police and fire crews have evacuated the parking lot of the old Fred Meyer where INL buses park on North Yellowstone in Idaho Falls.

Idaho Falls Fire/EMS Division Chief Dave Coffey said that a cylinder full of boron trifluoride broke, causing the gas to leak.

The gas is hazardous, but does not pose a danger to the public.

Crews took advantage of the windy weather, which allowed them to let the gas leak out and dissipate in a controlled manner.

“There’s no danger to the public,” Coffey said. “We want to make sure that everyone’s aware of that. And this was non-radiological, just a hazardous material — a hazardous gas, actually — that has been mitigated at this time.”

Two West One Logistics employees, who contract with the INL and manage the evacuated property, were exposed to the boron trifluoride. They were both evaluated at the Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center and have since been released.