Mower County Deputy Neal Williams blocks off traffic on County Road 7, south of Adams Friday afternoon as the Adams Fire Department cleaned up an anhydrous leak. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Rural Adams residents had a brief scare Friday afternoon when a farmer spilled roughly 500 gallons of anhydrous ammonia on County Road 7 south of Adams.

According to Mower County deputies, the farmer was pulling a disc with his tractor with a nursing tank of anhydrous. When the farmer tried turning and crossing into a separate field, the tank overturned and broke a valve, slowly spilling the dangerous chemical.

Adams firefighters heavily iced the anhydrous and prevented it from spreading into the air. Had the accident been closer to town, authorities would have possibly evacuated nearby residents. However, Adams Police Chief Mike Gehrke said the situation, even with the wind, was not enough to evacuate.

Anhydrous ammonia, which is used as a fertilizer for corn, can be lethal to anyone overexposed to it.

“Those fumes will just suck the oxygen right out of you,” said Mower County Deputy Neal Williams, who responded to the scene.

Gehrke said the event was more of a scare than anything, and the amount of fire fighters and safety response personnel was for extra precaution.

“We always plan for the worst and then back off,” Gehrke said.

Although authorities didn’t release the name of the farmer, the Mower County Sheriff’s Department will have a detailed report on Monday.