Dozens Taken to Hospital, Days-Long Evacuation in Effect as Massive Chemical Leak Plagues Ohio City

On the second day of mass evacuations in Toledo, Ohio, due to a chemical leak, hundreds of residents remain unable to return home.

Although an initial shelter-in-place order has been rescinded and the initial three-mile evacuation zone around the MC Tank facility has been reduced to a zone a quarter-mile wide, chemicals are still coming from a tank in an incident that began Tuesday night, according to CBS News.

As of Thursday morning, 57 people had been treated at local hospitals for symptoms related to the leak, according to WTOL-TV.

Seven people had been admitted, while the rest were treated and released.

“The most commonly reported symptoms have included shortness of breath and chest tightness,” said Tausha Moore, associate vice president of strategic communications for ProMedica, one Toledo hospital.

“Treatments have varied based on each patient’s condition, but commonly included bronchodilator breathing treatments such as albuterol and ipratropium. Patients with pre-existing respiratory conditions, including asthma and COPD, have generally experienced the most significant symptoms,” Moore said.

Thursday in Toledo dawned with chemicals and fog in the atmosphere, according to CBS.

Resident Travis Williams said he “woke up choking” from the fumes.

Dense fog reduced visibility to near zero across parts of the Toledo, Ohio, area overnight Tuesday, following a chemical spill that prompted evacuations within a one-mile radius.

Fog was already developing before the spill, but AccuWeather meteorologists say airborne chemicals may have caused fog to form faster or become denser. It’s unclear how much the spill contributed to the reduced visibility.

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) October 21, 2026

“I’ve never had these feelings, the burnings, itchy skin, irritated eyes,” Williams said. “I am definitely worried about the long-term effect of this.”

Williams said the combination “looked like a movie.”

“I couldn’t even see as far as my car to the curb,” Williams said.

After the Tuesday leak, which was blamed on an error as the chemical was being transferred, officials are letting the 5,500-gallon tank vent itself.

Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said Wednesday that the chances of an explosion made sending crews to approach the tank too risky. As it was, one first responder was injured, he said.

HAZMAT: Raw video of the hazmat situation in Toledo, OH. The chemical has been identified as glycidyl methacrylate from a 5,500 gallon tank. A mandatory 1 mile evacuation radius and 3 mile shelter in place order remains in effect! https://t.co/gujPmcK23I

— Chris Vickers (@ChrisWTOL) October 21, 2026

“There is still concern that the tank is emitting this chemical, and it has the potential within 12 hours of the incident to be explosive,” Kapszukiewicz said, according to CBS.

“As a result, our first responders and hazmat teams and safety teams are not approaching the tank,” he said.

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