Chemical Spill Shuts Down Road, Sends Hazmat To Coraopolis
August 24, 2015 4:35 PM
Authorities have called Hazmat crew and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to respond to a chemical spill that has closed the 700-block of Fifth Avenue in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The spill came from a tractor trailer truck that was leaking the liquid.
Coraopolis and Neville Island firemen were also called to help contain the spill of a red liquid that was reportedly used as an additive to diesel. Crew members who were called in shortly before 3:30 pm worked to clean up spill by spreading a material that would absorb the oil from the ground through the use of backhoes and brooms.
According to an officer who arrived at the scene, the load apparently shifted after the tanker was filled up with the chemical. The latch on top of truck, which wasn’t properly secured, came open when the truck hit bumps on the road. The driver had originally filled up the tanker at Pyramid Petroleum located just off Thorn Street
Motorists who were driving behind the truck called in the incident as the driver did not know that the liquid he was carrying had already spilled to the road. Although it was not yet clear if the driver would get a citation, officials said he was cooperating with the investigation.
The spill, which happened in front of Capri Glass, rerouted traffic to Fourth Avenue. The street normally has one-way traffic but because of the incident, it had to be used as a two-way street. The site of the spill was closed for much of the evening.
Additional personnel had to be called to redirect traffic. The spill occurred during rush hour so officers had to ensure that vehicles get moving.
Mayor Anthony Celeste used social media to inform the public about the spill. He wrote on Facebook, “5th Avenue is shut down from family video down. A tanker truck spilled a highly flammable chemical all down the road. They are calling in hazmat. Please be careful and take another route.”
Officials said the spill, which would stain the road for some time, covered two and a half blocks on Fifth Avenue. Since the fuel was flammable, the crew had to work well into the night to ensure that everything was removed.
There were no reports of anyone injured or evacuated because of the spill. The smell of fuel remains strong in the area. Authorities have still not provided figures on the extent of the spill.
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) —
A chemical spill created a big mess and shut down part of 5th Avenue in Coraopolis Monday.
The Hazmat team and EPA officials were called to the scene around 4 p.m.
Officials say a tractor-trailer started leaking fuel with a kerosene additive in the 700-block of 5th Avenue.
The road in that area was shut down for much of the evening.
Mayor Anthony Celeste wrote on Facebook:
“5th Avenue is shut down from family video down. A tanker truck spilled a highly flammable chemical all down the road. They are calling in hazmat. Please be careful and take another route.”
The fuel leak was contained.
No evacuations were reported either. The road has since been reopened