Two residents of a home on Shelton’s Gray Street were chipping ice out of an antique freezer Tuesday afternoon when they accidentally cut a cooling line in the unit, causing a refrigerant leak.
Firefighters from Shelton, the Derby Storms hazmat team and officials from the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to the scene.
There were no injuries, Shelton Fire Department Chief Fran Jones said about 3:30 p.m.
Jones said crews were in the process of ventilating the home.
Two people who were inside the house’s basement when the refrigerant started leaking were only briefly exposed to the chemical and were evaluated by EMS, Jones said.
He said the refrigerant, believed to be sulfur dioxide, is hazardous when mixed with melting ice and/or air.
The chemical is harmful if inhaled and can also damage a person’s eyes and skin, according to this fact sheet from the New Jersey Department of Public Health.
“As soon as they hit the line they closed the basement and called 911,” Jones said. “They did everything they needed to do.”
The call came in about 1:15 p.m., Jones said.
The chief said crews would remain on scene with DEEP to supervise the removal of the antique freezer from the home.
“Like most hazmat incidents, it’s a slow process just making sure everything is done methodically,” Jones said.