Authorities in Clanton responded Friday morning to a report of an anhydrous ammonia leak at Merchants Foodservice.

“At the time of the call, we didn’t know how big the leak was so the Clanton Police Department and Clanton Fire Department did exactly what they were supposed to do in stopping nearby traffic,” said Chilton County Emergency Management Agency Director Bill Collum. “Traffic on Interstate 65 North was stalled, and traffic on some of these sides roads near the location was stopped.”

Anhydrous ammonia is a colorless gas with a pungent smell and suffocating fumes. It can be used as a fertilizer.

Capt. David Clackley with the Clanton Police Department said when authorities initially heard the dispatch call, they thought it was a 2,000-gallon tank that was leaking.

“We didn’t know how much ammonia was leaking, so we shut down roads to prevent people from driving near the area,” Clackley said. “Once we determined it was less than four gallons, we went ahead and opened traffic back up.”

Chilton County E-911 said at 11:40 a.m., all roads in South Clanton were opened.

Collum said at about 1 p.m. on Friday there was still less than one gallon of the ammonia that crews were trying to get out of the way.

“Everything is OK now; we are just working to get it all cleaned up,” Collum said. “No one should be able to smell it though. With the rain and the way the wind is blowing, you can’t smell it.”

Merchants Foodservice is located at 2450 Big M Blvd. in Clanton, near I-65 Exit 205.