Cree evacuates due to overnight hydrogen leak

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- A hydrogen leak forced Cree employees to evacuate Saturday morning.

It happened at the Cree building on Silicon Drive off of Chin Page Road.

Durham fire officials were dispatched around 2:30 a.m. and reported a storage tank of liquid hydrogen was leaking within the containment area of the site.

Workers were evacuated to a safe area onsite were provided protection in case the gas was ignited.

The leak was stopped at 5:20 a.m.

Durham police said no one was injured from the leak.

A Cree spokesperson gave the following statement:

An incident involving a hydrogen leak occurred at approximately 12:30 a.m. today at our Durham facility. The safety of our employees and residents in the immediate area has been our first priority and every precaution has been taken since the discovery of the leak. Cree's campus and the surrounding area have been deemed safe by local authorities. There were no injuries as a result of the occurrence, and the leak was swiftly and safely contained. All protocols and systems worked as intended, including the temporary evacuation of our employees. We worked cooperatively with local authorities to notify residents in the immediate area. All production has resumed as we conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.