KTKA

Early Tuesday morning, thieves came to Del Bogart's neighborhood.

"I saw the firetrucks," Bogart said. "I saw the cars and the police officers this morning when I left for work."

The thieves came to the plant at U.S. Highway 24 and NW Huxman Road looking for anhydrous ammonia. It's a chemical used to help plants grow in farming, but it can also be used to make methamphetamine.

The plant off Highway 24 had two thefts of anhydrous in just one week. That makes some neighbors nervous because the chemical is extremely toxic. When it is mishandled it can burn a person's skin, freeze their eyes or even liquify their lungs if the gas form is directly breathed in.

Emergency officials were at the plant Tuesday to make sure the anhydrous didn't spread and Bogart says he hopes the thefts are related.

"I was kind of thinking it was maybe associated," he said. "I hope so. Hopefully that was an end to it."

Though police got the suspects this time, some neighbors don't think the thefts will stop.

"I just don't understand the whole thing," said Fred Preston, who also lives near the plant. "All you have to do is look at your peers and say, 'Gee, do I really want to be involved in that?' Apparently they do."

The plant has tried to increase its security measures by storing anhydrous in bigger, more secure tanks.

Learn more about ammonia thefts in this story from 49 News' Kendall Jones.