Proctor AmericInn temporarily evacuated for gas issue

On Wednesday at 11:09 am, the Proctor Fire Department responded to a call of a chlorine gas issue at the AmericInn located at 185 Hwy 2 in Proctor.

Upon arriving, Proctor Fire’s Ladder 1 and Truck 5 discerned the leak originated from the apparent mixing of cleaning chemicals in a drain, creating a chlorine gas influx. Duluth Fire Department’s 8 Quint and CAT 31 provided mutual aid to Proctor Fire in this incident.

All hotel staff and guest were safely evacuated at the beginning of the incident. Using positive pressure fans, DFD and PFD ventilated the building. Over the course of an hour, the fire departments measured air quality. Monitor readings never reached an unsafe range, reaching 0.4 ppm at the highest chlorine concentration point. Readings went down to zero, and the scene was cleared by 12:18 pm.

“We’re always grateful for our mutual aid partners at the Duluth Fire Department,”
remarked Proctor Fire Chief Kerry Helquist. “Our communities are safer because of the
partnership we maintain.”

The Duluth Fire Department is one of Minnesota’s eleven Hazardous Materials Response teams. Hazmat response team duties include hazard assessment, technical assistance, and reasonable mitigation.