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Hazmat teams respond to spill on U.S. 75
By Bill Conrad, bconrad@starlocalnews.com
Rush hour traffic was delayed for several hours Tuesday afternoon when a tanker truck carrying two hazardous materials sprang a leak while traveling northbound on U.S. 75 through Plano and Richardson. It is estimated that three to five gallons of the chemicals were spilled.
While the materials did not become airborne and police said the public was never in danger, all lanes of traffic on northbound U.S. 75 were shut down for more than three hours while hazardous materials teams from the Plano and Richardson fire departments cleaned up the scene. The road was re-opened by 10:10 p.m.
Officer David Tilley of the Plano Police Department said Richardson PD officers followed the vehicle from their city and made a traffic stop at about 6:40 p.m. The officers cordoned off the scene while the hazmat teams determined the identity of the chemical and assessed the threat level.
"We have dedicated hazmat teams that receive additional training in addition to their regular firefighting duties," said Capt. Shawn Childress of the Plano Fire Department. "They were able to respond and mitigate the leak and then clean up the spill."
Childress said the teams have a variety of tools at their disposal, including special hazmat trucks and different levels of hazmat suits. Firefighters use a fully encapsulated suit with an enclosed breathing system when the chemical is unknown or there is a chance it may become aerosolized. The two-man team from Fire Station 5 that initially responded to Tuesday's call wore these suits.
The chemicals have been identified as tetramethylammonium chloride and decy-dimethyl amine oxide. Once the leak was mitigated, the tanker was moved to a secure location so repairs could be made, Childress said.
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