80 pounds of ammonia leaked from an engine room at the JB Swift Slaughterhouse in Butchertown today around 11:30 a.m. Although no workers were injured, one man was seen being taken from the scene on a stretcher being administered oxygen. No ammonia has been detected outside of the slaughterhouse but residents in the area have still been advised to remain indoors. JBS was fined $37,500 on March 16 by the air pollution control agency for alleged violations of odor control and chemical accident prevention regulations as part of an enforcement order against the company. Ammonia is used in refrigeration at the plant.

The Courier-Journal’s Marcus Greene and Jere Downs reporting was used in this story