Written by Mathew Richards
Monday, 10 August 2015 09:10
KAUFMAN, Texas —
Portions of State Highway 34 in Kaufman are closed due to a hazmat spill on the roadway, according to officials.
At 7:52 p.m., first responders were notified of a tanker truck spilling a liquid, later identified as hydrochloric acid, onto the roadway, according to Kaufman County Fire Marshal Randy Richards who said the general public is not in any immediate danger.
A majority of the spill is isolated to southbound SH 34 underneath the U.S. Highway 175 overpass. It continued to spill along southbound SH 34 until the truck stopped just north of Farm-to-Market (FM) 1388.
Southbound SH 34 underneath the U.S. Highway 175 overpass is closed and traffic is being diverted onto Fair Street and detoured onto FM 1388.
The dome lid on the tanker failed for unknown reasons, resulting in the spill, according to Richards. Approximately 50 gallons spilled. Richards says the acid was already used so it was somewhat diluted before the spill. Firefighters are neutralizing the acid with lime powder until a hazmat crew arrives for cleanup.
The remaining hydrochloric acid inside the tanker will be offloaded onto another tanker for transportation.
At 9 a.m., officials expected the roadway to remain closed for at least another hour or two.
This is a developing story. - See more at: http://inforney.com/