WALLA WALLA, Wash.- The Marcus Whitman Hotel in Walla Walla was evacuated Thursday, Sept. 14 after the Walla Walla Fire Department received reports of “volatile chemical” odors.
UPDATE: September 17, 1:25 p.m. According to the City of Walla Walla, Clean Harbor discovered what appears to be pure gasoline in a 10 foot-deep sump found in the Marcus Whiteman Hotel basement.
It is suspected that the apparent gasoline came from a 10,000 gallon tank of regular unleaded fuel belonging to the Chevron gas station across the street at 7 E. Rose St.
There is no pipeline connection between the gas station equipment and the hotel.
There is no indication that this substance has entered Walla Walla’s waterways of underground utility infrastructure.
During Saturday night, September 16, the gasoline from the suspected tank was pumped out into a separate tank at the Chevron location. Once the suspected tank is empty, it will be tightness tested by a contractor to identify any leaks.
A timeline for this testing has not been determined.
Clean Harbor crews are preparing to pump the suspected gasoline out of the hotel’s basement. Pneumatic pumping equipment will be used to eliminate the possibility of the fuel igniting.
The apparent gasoline will be transferred to IBC totes and then transported to a frac truck parked on 2nd Avenue adjacent to the hotel.
This operation has a safety plan established. During the extraction, air-quality monitors in the hotel and on the street will be working to detect concentration of volatile organic compounds. If monitors detect hazardous levels, alarms will sound and crews will immediately halt their operation.
A Walla Walla Fire Department crew and the Washington State Department of Ecology are on scene to provide additional assistance if needed.
Crews will monitor the what happens in the basement’s sump as the material is extracted and determine the next course of action based on what they find. There is no estimated timeline for this pumping operation.
2nd Avenue between Cherry and Rose street is closed to vehicles and pedestrians along with Sumach Street between Rose and Colville Street.
Customers wishing to access the Post Office can use the sidewalk on the south side of Sumach Street.
Those who don’t need access to the Post Office or the Chevron store are asked to avoid the area.
September 16 11:50 a.m. Street and sidewalk closures were reduced by the Walla Walla Fire Department as responders continue to ventilate the hotel’s basement.
The City of Walla Walla said nearby businesses and residents are in no danger and businesses can operate with no restrictions.
The source of the gasoline contamination is still under investigation.
September 15 5:04 p.m. According to the City of Walla Walla, ventilation of the Marcus Whitman basement has cleared most of the gasoline-like smell.
The Department of Ecology is still working to investigate the area around the hotel to find the source and reason for the smell.
According to the City of Walla Walla there is no immediate danger to businesses in the area.
to exercise extreme caution the DOE investigation is still ongoing. The WWFD has placed the hotel and immediate surrounding area under level 1 evacuation notices.
The streets around the hotel remain closed to vehicles while the investigation continues.
September 15 10:00 a.m. Ventilation of the Marcus Whitman basement is ongoing after a chemical odor was detected on the night of September 14.
According to the City of Walla Walla the situation is being monitored by Clean Harbor and readings of compound levels in the air have not increased overnight.
City crews and utilities are checking all underground utilities in the area and the State Department of Ecology is expected to arrive on Friday, September 15 and formulate a plan for identifying the odor according to the City.
The streets around the hotel remain closed and residents are being asked to avoid the area. The Chevron convenience store at 7 E. Rose St. is open, but the gas pumps are turned off.
The City of Walla Walla will continue to provide updates on the situation on its website.
10:00 p.m. According to the city of Walla Walla, crews will remain on scene overnight to search for the source of the smell.
An update is anticipated around 9:00 a.m. on Friday September 15.
8:11 p.m. According to Brendon Koch, City of Walla Walla Communications manager, North second Avenue and North 3rd avenue between West Cherry Street and West Main Street are closed.
7:35 p.m. According to the City of Walla Walla, crews from the Washington State Department of Ecology and Clean Harbor are on site.
The DOE has confirmed initial reads causing unsafe conditions.
The source has been narrowed down, but not yet determined.
However, the DOE has confirmed that the source of the smell is not propane of natural gas.
A cleanup company contracted by the Marcus Whitman hotel is currently working to ventilate the basement.
ORIGINAL COVERAGE:
According to the City of Walla Walla an evacuation is underway at the Marcus Whitman Hotel and Conference Center.
The Walla Walla Fire Department received reports that the basement of the Marcus Whitman Hotel had a chemical odors.
Readings indicate potentially unsafe conditions in the basement.
A source of the smell has not been located.
WWFD is working with the department of ecology to provide assistance.
The building is currently being evacuated in an exercise of caution.
Crews are asking the public to avoid the area if possible.
