Chemical spill triggers evacuations Monday
An overturned semitrailer spilled organic peroxide, leading to evacuation orders on Chattanooga’s Westside, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department.
Just after 6 p.m. Monday, the Fire Department and Chattanooga Police Department responded to a rollover accident involving a semitrailer on Riverfront Parkway at West M.L. King Boulevard, a news release said.
Hazmat crews worked to mitigate the incident, and Marion Environmental worked through the night to finish cleanup at the site. Firefighters used soda ash to absorb chemicals and created a dam to contain the spill and prevent runoff from getting into stormwater drains, the release stated.
The evacuation order given to businesses and residents within a quartermile radius of the spill was lifted about 12:50 a.m. Tuesday.
The intersection of West M.L. King Boulevard and Riverfront Parkway will remain closed until the cleanup is complete. Traffic will be diverted off Riverfront Parkway at Chestnut Street and Main Street. Westbound traffic on M.L. King will be turned around at Boynton Drive, according to the release.
Crown Subaru, Chattanooga Whiskey Event Hall, a medical office and a dental office in the immediate vicinity of the spill will remain closed, the release stated.
There were no injuries to the truck driver, and no chemical exposures have been reported, according to the release.
The area has seen at least four other chemical spills since early August — three of those also involved organic peroxide, which lets off heat when exposed to air and can ignite a fire.
Such hazardous spills are rare, and the Fire Department typically records only a couple of large spills each year, Assistant Chief Terry Knowles previously told the Chattanooga Times Free Press