A leaking tanker truck emitted dangerous amounts of ammonia gas in a hotel parking lot in the town of Weatherford, in US’ Oklahoma, sending several dozen people to the hospital and forcing hundreds of residents to evacuate.

The shelter-in-place order was lifted on Thursday morning. Hours before the order was lifted, firefighters wearing gas masks went door-to-door in Weatherford and woke people up and told them to leave because of fumes from the anhydrous ammonia leak.

Anhydrous ammonia is used as a farm fertilizer to help corn and wheat grow. The colorless gas has a pungent, suffocating odor and can be deadly, especially at high concentrations, or cause breathing problems and burns to the skin and eyes.

At least 36 people were hospitalised and were treated in its emergency room, accord

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