Jimboy Cailo had just arrived home from work and was sleeping inside their house in Barangay North Bay Boulevard South (NBBS) in Navotas City when his frightened wife roused him following an ammonia leak that occurred at a nearby ice plant on Wednesday afternoon.

The 26-year-old resident said he immediately grabbed a face mask and a wet towel, but even those did not give him and his family protection from the foul smell.

"Yung asawa ko po, ginising nya ako... Maya maya po naglalabasan na po mga tao, nag-iiyakan na po... dahil sa amoy na hindi makatao. Pag ano, manghihina ka eh (My wife awakened me from sleep. I already saw people running outside and crying... because of the ‘inhumane’ smell. You’d really feel weak when you inhale it)," he told the Manila Bulletin in an interview.

"So kumuha po ako ng face mask, ganon din po tagos po yung amoy. Kahit yung basahang towel, tagos din po. Kaya wala na po kaming gamit na nakuha, nilikas ko na lang po pamilya ko (I got face masks and wet towels, but I could still smell the ammonia. So, I didn’t try to get any of our things anymore and instead evacuated my family)," he added.

Cailo said he immediately evacuated his wife and his three children and ran for about 15 minutes toward Smokey Mountain, at the boundary of Navotas and Manila, where he said the smell was no longer felt.

There were about 200 residents who also found safety in the area, he added.

Like Cailo, hundreds of Navotas City residents scrambled out of their homes after a drum containing ammonia at T.P. Marcelo Ice Plant and Cold Storage in Barangay NBBS ruptured at around 4 p.m. of Wednesday.

In a video uploaded by a certain Gary Española on Facebook, some residents were seen coughing, others were heard complaining about their breathing while toddlers were already crying.

Some even left their sleepers due to panic.

"Ang dami daw naiwan sa mga bahay nila... Balikan ko lang mga kapatid ko (Many people were left inside their homes. Oh wait, I’m going to return for my siblings)," Española said in his Facebook Live, adding that some dogs already had froths in their mouths.

"Lumalakas, lumalakas (ang amoy) (The smell is getting stronger)," he added, "Kailangan namin ng tubig (We also need water)."

In the same video, residents who sought refuge at an establishment near the Manila Bay were seen soaking their faces in water from container drums as they were already feeling sore in their eyes.

"Andito kami sa dagat, medyo okay dito. Pero ang sakit sa dibdib (We’re here by the sea. We feel better here but I’m feeling suffocated)," Española added.

Wednesday's ammonia leak was not the first incident that occurred in the area since the start of the year. On January 20, the Magsimpan Ice Plant located in the same barangay also reported a leak shortly before midnight, prompting residents to call for the company's accountability over the incident.

The latest leak left at least one person dead, according to Mayor Toby Tiangco. The fatality was a 44-year-old employee of the ice plant identified as Gilbert Tiangco.

About 76 residents, including minors, were also rushed to nearby Navotas City Hospital and Tondo General Hospital in Manila.

Ammonia, according to the Bureau of Fire Protection, is being used as refrigerant.

Tiangco, in an interview over DZBB, said the ice plant involved in the recent leak incident was owned by his mother. However, he would still order its closure pending investigation.