The district near Voudintie was evacuated immediately and police cleared an area of 200-metre radius from the factory for the afternoon. All businesses operating in the area were also evacuated.

 It took 20 minutes for rescue personnel to find the source and estimate the spread of the leak. The work was slowed down by the ammonium fumes reducing visibility and the chemical safety equipment that the rescue workers wore. The broken pipe was fixed but later in the evening the same spot reopened leaking the remains of the ammonium fumes from the pipe. The main valve had been closed earlier in the afternoon when the first leak was discovered.

 Ammonium used at the Kotivara factory is classified as harmful but does not contain the high levels of ammonium which could cause immediate danger to people. It is used for assisting refrigeration in one section of the factory.  ‘It is hard to estimate the extent of damage at the moment,’ said the Managing Director of Kotivara. ‘Airing the premises properly in the weekend should be enough and normal work can resume on Monday morning.

’ The rescue service received complaints about the slow reporting of the incident to the general public. It took 46 minutes after the fire department received the emergency call to air a public warning over the radio about the incident and facilitate the evacuation. The second public notice came over two hours later when the situation was already under control.  Petri Hintikka, who led the operation and was also responsible for communication, wanted to ‘remind those criticising’ him that ‘the main resources are always dedicated to dealing with the situation at hand.’ He stated that he was happy with the way communication was handled and the police were also keeping the local residents informed.  

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