STOLEN AMMONIA SPILL LEADS TO EVACUATIONS IN ALABAMA

EIGHT MILE, Ala. - Families in 10 homes were temporarily evacuated
Wednesday after thieves who stole liquid ammonia leaked the substance in a
residential area.

Two people stole about 10 gallons of anhydrous ammonia, used in the
production of the illegal drug methamphetamine, after breaking a valve on a
large vat during a break-in at Metal-Tec Heat Treating Inc. here Wednesday,
said Prichard police spokesman Harry McGadney.

Because the substance was spilled and the vat opened, police evacuated 10
nearby homes, though the residents were allowed to return later in the day.

The only injury reported was that of a 23-year-old Semmes woman, Mary
Sullivan, who was charged in connection with the theft, McGadney said. A
man who police believe was Sullivan's accomplice was being sought.

Sullivan was jailed after her release from the University of South Alabama
Medical Center, where she was treated for skin irritation.

McGadney said investigators believe she and her accomplice broke open the
valve on the tank shortly before 5 a.m.

He said officers on patrol spotted a man and woman filling two small
containers. The man threw one of the containers in a car and fled on foot
and the woman left in the car. She was arrested a few minutes later nearby.