1 dead, 4 hospitalized after possible chemical leak at sugar factory in northeast Colorado

One person died and four others were hospitalized following a possible chemical leak at the Western Sugar Cooperative in Fort Morgan. The Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, an ambulance and volunteer firefighters were dispatched to the sugar plant at 18317 Highway 144 after a man was found unconscious Wednesday afternoon.

When emergency responders arrived shortly after 3:30 p.m., they were told it was possibly an ammonia leak, but rescue crews determined it was hydrogen sulfide. They also requested assistance from the Brush Volunteer Fire Department for additional personnel to assist with confined space rescue and decontamination.

Two male Western Sugar employees were rescued from a confined space approximately 10 feet underground. Firefighters were wearing personal protective equipment when entering the space, but it was exposed during the technical rescue while attempting to recover one of the patients.

According to Morgan County Sheriff Dave Martin, the patient was “combative in a confined space” and released his protective gear. Two Fort Morgan firefighters were injured during the rescue. The rescue operation lasted about 70 minutes in a building separate from the main plant.

Three employees and two firefighters were taken to Saint Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan and treated there.

Both firefighters and another employee were treated and released from the hospital. One died and one remained hospitalized Thursday morning. The deaths are being investigated by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office and the Morgan County Coroner.

According to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, the chemical is a “naturally occurring byproduct of manufacturing wastewater.” During the rescue operation, the plant was not shut down or evacuated and operations did not appear to be affected.