Ephraim Wal-Mart evacuated

EPHRAIM — A hazardous-materials team was called out, a Wal-Mart store was evacuated and two store employees were taken to the hospital Wednesday night after a bottle of ammonia and a bottle of chloride got smashed together in a trash compactor, creating a toxic vapor cloud.

Officers weren't able to determine the brand names or types of products involved. But neither of the employees was seriously injured, said Ephraim Fire Chief Rhonde Larsen.

Both were treated at Sanpete Valley Hospital and released.

The trash compactor is outside the store but opens into the store. About 7:30 p.m., Larsen said, employees saw a vapor cloud floating into the store through the compactor opening, smelled fumes and called police.

The Sanpete County hazmat team and police, fire and ambulance crews from Ephraim, Manti, Sterling and Fairview responded. Most of the officers focused on store evacuation and crowd control.

Using "electronic sniffers," hazmat officers determined the types of chemicals involved and used pressure ventilators to force the gas outside the building. Follow-up tests at about 10 p.m. found no evidence of ammonium chloride.

The store reopened Thursday morning.