Toledo orders mile-wide evacuation after chemical leak at Progress Avenue facility

Toledo Fire & Rescue ordered residents within a one-mile radius of an industrial facility on Progress Avenue to evacuate late on Tuesday night after a hazardous-material release, and early on Wednesday extended a shelter-in-place order to everyone within three miles.

The evacuation order came at about 10:48pm on Tuesday 20 October, with the zone initially set at a half-mile before being expanded. At about 4:24am on Wednesday, the fire department added the three-mile shelter-in-place directive: residents must stay indoors, close all windows and doors, and turn off ventilation systems that draw in outside air, according to the Columbus Dispatch’s reporting of local broadcasts.

There is a genuine discrepancy over the facility itself: ABC 13 Action News, via the Dispatch, reported the release at M.C. Tank Transport, a trucking company terminal at 1266 Progress Avenue, while WTOL Channel 11 reported it at Sterling Pipe & Tube at 1050 Progress Avenue. The Toledo Blade identified the site as owned by Sigma Tube Holding Company and operated as Sterling Pipe and Tube, a maker of electric-welded steel tubes. Toledo Fire & Rescue spokesman Pvt. Sheldon Collins said a tank outside the facility was leaking onto the ground and that a chemical was present in the air — though the chemical itself had not been identified at the time of reporting.

No injuries or fatalities had been reported, and city officials said the release was ongoing. They described the substance as an irritant that can cause burning of the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, and said there had been no explosion — only a release.

Enterprise Boulevard was closed between Stickney Avenue and Benore Road, and railroad operations near the site were halted. A shifting plume was reducing visibility on roadways across north Toledo, with dense fog over the city making the release impossible to distinguish by sight; drivers were urged to slow down.

The evacuation zone includes the Raintree Village mobile home park and the Alexis Addition neighbourhood. Temporary shelters were opened at Shoreland Elementary School and in the Meijer parking lot off East Alexis Road, where the American Red Cross and TARTA buses were assisting residents. Toledo Public Schools and Washington Local Schools cancelled classes for Wednesday.

Sources

• Columbus Dispatch: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/state/2026/10/21/toledo-chemical-leak-prompts-evacuation-shelter-in-place-order/92359053007/
• FOX 2 Detroit: https://fox2detroit.com/news/toledo-hazmat-incident-causes-evacuations-due-chemical-release
• Hindustan Times (citing WTOL Channel 11): https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/toledo-ohio-chemical-leak-leads-to-reduced-visibility-on-roadways-shocking-videos-emerge-watch-101792564342459.html