Advertisement Crews stop ammonia leak that killed worker inside Boston warehouse Hazmat team shut off leak around 9:30 p.m. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A large ammonia leak reported Wednesday evening at a Boston seafood warehouse has killed one worker, officials said.Watch the report | ImagesBoston fire officials said that just before 6 p.m., employees of Stavis Seafoods at 7 Channel St. reported a large ammonia leak inside the building.The emergency crews who first arrived were able to get into the building to try and save one of the workers, but were unsuccessful."They were pushed back by the product, the ammonia," Boston Fire Chief of Operations John Walsh said. "They called a Level 3 response. We responded with our hazmat teams."WATCH: Hear from people who had to stay indoors during leakWalsh said they made two entries into the building, and eventually were able to recover the body of the unidentified worker in a stairwell on the second floor.It took about an hour to reach the victim, Walsh said, because of the amount of ammonia inside the facility. Fire officials said the leak stopped with the main valve shut down around 9:30 p.m. "We were devastated to learn that one of our warehouse employees has died as a result of the ammonia leak," said Richard Stavis, CEO of Stavis Seafoods. "We are thankful that four employees who were in the building at the time were able to quickly and safely evacuate. We want to understand exactly what happened and will of course cooperate with all authorities in their investigation." Hazmat technicians were provided medical support at the scene. One person was referred to a medical examiner and another individual not related to the initial incident, was taken to Tufts Medical Center. Ammonia was leaking for at least two hours after the incident was first reported, so as a result the flow of ammonia needed to be shut off to the whole building in an attempt to stop it.The tank that was leaking was holding approximately 5,400 pounds of ammonia, Walsh said, but it's unknown how much leaked.A shelter-in-place order was issued shortly after the leak began as a precautionary measure, but Walsh said there wasn't a danger to the public."They can basically be (decontaminated) by the air, so it's not a product that stays on you like some bad products, but it's very easily taken off our guys," Walsh said.Boston Police Commissioner William Evans said people were being discouraged for going to the area."Right now we have some traffic restrictions," he said. "The wind is blowing toward Summer Street, so from 1st and L Street, up to D and Summer, we're going to have that area shut down."Evans said it was a mutual decision between Massachusetts State Police, the Boston Police Department and Boston Fire Department to shelter-in-place, but Evans said that order has since been lifted.Members of the Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration are assisting in the investigation. It's unknown how or when the leak started, and the incident remains under investigation.