Crews respond to chemical spill

Staff Report

GIrard

Firefighters and Trumbull County HAZMAT crews responded to a chemical spill that sent five people to the hospital.

Fire Chief Ken Bornemiss said the men were exposed to sodium hydroxide after a forklift punctured a 400 gallon tank at Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., 1730 North State St.

Girard fire crews received a call for help shortly after 8 p.m. Tuesday, said Bornemiss. After arriving, the department called the Trumbull County HAZMAT and the Environmental Protection Agency for assistance.

All the men exposed were treated and released from the hospital Tuesday night, he said.

The accident occurred when the forklift was trying to remove the tank from a freight container inside a building, said Old Dominion Service Center Manager David Roberts.

He said the chemical is used for industrial cleaning.

According to fire reports, the sodium hydroxide reached 600 degrees Fahrenheit and was bubbling on the ground when crews arrived. Roberts said the spill was contained within the building and the outside pavement. He said all the liquid was neutralized and there was no serious damage to the facility.

Old Dominion specializes in transportation of industrial supplies and consumer goods, said Roberts.