Sep 21, 2008 7:57 pm US/Central
Mixed Chemicals Cause Stir In Garland Hazmat
GARLAND (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
There were some scary moments Sunday for neighbors of a garland chemical firm. Hazardous chemicals leaked from a tanker, forcing the evacuation of a business park next to the Ashland Chemical Company.
The leaking tanker forced firefighters to make sure nobody would be in harm's way; including people next door at Naturerich Labs, trying to make a Monday delivery.
Tim Whitney was inside the lab when they got word they would need to leave. "We were trying to get everything out and at the last minute the fire department knocked on our door and said, 'We need everybody out.'"
The tanker contained a mixture of flammable materials that are the byproduct of the computer chip making process. Somehow, there was a chemical reaction that heated the concoction, boosting pressure until it finally popped off a safety relief valve. Firefighters evacuated a quarter-mile perimeter for safety's sake.
For all the concern, the safety valve worked as designed. With a hole in the top, the tanker began to stabilize.
By mid-afternoon the situation was considered so contained the fire officials reopened the street in front of the plant, and allowed people in the evacuated businesses to return to work.
Fortunately for Time Whitney, still in time to make his deadline.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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