Tuesday, May 17, 2011
No Danger Detected During Chemical Scare
Fears that a spill in the Redhill area Tuesday afternoon could be of a chemical nature were quickly put to rest when emergency workers determined that the substance was simply residual farming materials.
A police officer was first dispatched around 5:30 p.m. to the location where a passerby had noticed that a liquid substance was leaking from a 55 gallon barrel.
The drum, lying at the edge of the roadway at the intersection of Ethridge Redhill and Redhill Center Roads, appeared to have rolled off a vehicle.
Units with the Ethridge and Henryville Fire Departments responded to the scene and the area was locked down, with traffic diverted around the busy intersection for around two hours.
Once further investigation revealed the barrel had originally contained a toxic substance, members of the Lawrenceburg Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Team were summoned to the scene, as well.
An old FedEx shipping label on the barrel allowed officials to track its source. The barrel, which had originally contained nitric acid, had been shipped some time before from Coral Chemical, Inc., in Nashville to Hughes Parker Industries in Lawrenceburg.
HazMat personnel tested the substance and determined that it posed no danger. They indicated the contents appeared to be a mixture of non-toxic farming residuals. Team members did conduct a cleanup of the site before leaving.
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