LEWISTON – Police shut down a section of Russell Street for nearly two hours early Monday night while firefighters checked on a smell of ammonia from a Bates College building.

It was ultimately determined that ammonia drifting from the Underhill Arena was not dangerous to those in the neighborhood. But from 4:30 until close to 6:30 p.m., police officers and barricades blocked a section of Russell Street near the Sabattus Street end.

“It was just a precaution,” said police Sgt. David St. Pierre. “It never reached dangerous levels. Traffic was pretty light so it wasn’t much of a problem.”

Firefighters were first called to the ice rink at about 3 p.m. when an odor of ammonia was reported in the area. A compressor inside the arena caused an ammonia release, police said.

Fire crews spent three hours inspecting machinery at the rink and taking air measurements before deeming it harmless.

Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause severe burns to the skin, eyes, throat and lungs, according to federal Office of Hazard Materials Safety. Blindness, lung damage and death can result. Breathing lower concentrations can cause coughing as well as nose and throat irritation, the agency states.

Fire crews determined that there were no such dangers around the rink. No buildings had to be evacuated as a result of the reported stench.