Toledo chemical leak: shelter-in-place order lifted for Temperance and Erie after Bedford and Mason schools closed Wednesday

TEMPERANCE, Mich. — Toledo lifted its shelter-in-place order at 5 p.m. Wednesday, ending roughly 12 hours in which families in southern Bedford and Erie townships were told to stay indoors because of a chemical leak just across the state line, according to the City of Toledo.

The city also shrank its evacuation zone from 1 mile to a half mile around the MC Tank Terminal at 1266 Progress Ave. in north Toledo, where a tank of an industrial chemical called glycidyl methacrylate began leaking Tuesday night. Only people who live or work within that half mile still need to stay away, the city said.

How it reached Michigan. Toledo Fire & Rescue ordered the 1-mile evacuation at 10:48 p.m. Tuesday. At 4:24 a.m. Wednesday it ordered everyone within 3 miles to shelter in place, a circle that took in the Erie and Temperance areas of Monroe County, the Monroe News reported. The Associated Press, in a story published by Bridge Michigan, said more than 50,000 people were advised to stay indoors.

Bedford Public Schools, including its latchkey program, Mason Consolidated Schools in Erie Township and the Whitman Center campus of Monroe County Community College in Temperance closed for the day, according to the Monroe News. Bedford also canceled after-school events.

“Out of an abundance of caution and making sure we are maintaining our priority of our kids being healthy and safe, we needed to cancel for the day,” Mason Consolidated Superintendent Kelli Tuller told CBS News Detroit. Before the order was lifted, Mason told parents to make child-care plans in case school had to close again Thursday. Neither district had posted a Thursday decision on its website as of Wednesday evening, so families should watch district alerts and social media.

What leaked. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the chemical came from an intermodal tank holding about 5,500 gallons. The Ohio EPA blamed an error during a transfer, according to the AP. Firefighters could not stop the release, so the city decided the safest course was to let the chemical finish reacting while crews kept their distance, the EPA said. “There’s no question the situation is improving,” Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said Wednesday afternoon. ProMedica told the AP it had evaluated about 30 people with possible symptoms, and most were treated and released.

What this means for you. The city says glycidyl methacrylate can burn the eyes, nose, mouth and skin, and overexposure can bring headaches, dizziness, tiredness, nausea and vomiting. If you are exposed, shower or rinse off and call a doctor; for trouble breathing or confusion, go to an emergency room or call 911. Smelling an odor does not by itself mean a dangerous exposure, the city says, but anyone who notices an unusual smell should stay inside, close windows and turn off ventilation that pulls in outside air. Toledo says tap water is not affected, and the interstate stayed open, though drivers should roll up windows and recirculate air near the scene.

The EPA is monitoring the air around the evacuation zone and taking samples inside it, and says it will post the results online. Health questions can go to the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department at 419-213-4100.

For more from the state line, see our Bedford Township page.

Sources:
City of Toledo, “Hazardous Materials Evacuation and Shelter-in-Place Orders in Effect for North Toledo,” updated Oct. 21, 2026, 6:36 p.m. (times, zones, health and water guidance), https://toledo.oh.gov/news/2026/10/21/hazmat-evacuation-in-north-toledo
U.S. EPA, Toledo Glycidyl Methacrylate Release site profile, Oct. 21, 2026 updates, https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=17475
Associated Press and Bridge Michigan, “Toledo chemical tank rupture forces Michigan school closures near border,” Oct. 21, 2026, https://bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/toledo-chemical-tank-rupture-forces-michigan-school-closures-near-border/
CBS News Detroit, “Michigan school official, business speak on impact of Toledo chemical leak,” Oct. 21, 2026, https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/toledo-chemical-leak-impact-michigan-schools-and-businesses/
Monroe News, “Toledo chemical release prompts Monroe Co. shelter-in-place, closes schools,” Oct. 21, 2026, https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2026/10/21/toledo-chemical-hazardous-materials-release-lucas-county-emergency-management-agency-toledo-fire/92358934007/
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “Lewis Avenue Facing South Temperance Michichigan.JPG,” Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and color-adjusted, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lewis_Avenue_Facing_South_Temperance_Michichigan.JPG

Bedford Township

Tags: Bedford Township · Temperance · Toledo · Chemical Leak · Schools · Public Safety