Primghar, Iowa — A leak from a liquid oxygen tank caused some concern in Primghar on Thursday night, March 30th, 2017.
According to Primghar Fire Chief Gary Lansink, someone noticed smoke or steam coming from the area of the liquid oxygen tank on the north side of the Baum Harmon Mercy Hospital’s new Wound Clinic and called emergency crews about 10:25 p.m.
Lansink says the fire department notified hospital officials who told them that the tank had been filled too full, and the pressure release valve was venting out the excess oxygen. The extremely cold temperature of the escaping gas was condensing moisture in the air into a cloud of vapor that looked like smoke or steam, he says. Hospital officials advised that the pressure release valve was doing what it was supposed to be doing, says Lansink, so they didn’t feel any action needed to be taken.
Chief Lansink says there was also a breeze at the time, which was dissipating the oxygen. No one was evacuated.
