Cleanup efforts continue on Highway 402 near London after acid spill
Public urged to avoid the area as the leak could be hazardous, police say
Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) in Middlesex County say Highway 402 westbound near Strathroy remained closed Thursday after a serious crash between a tractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle led to a chemical spill.
Crews who responded to the crash Wednesday afternoon after 1 p.m. ET found material leaking from the tractor-trailer that was carrying approximately 45,000 litres of acid, police said Wednesday.
About 100 litres of the acid was spilled, according to the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks, who is working with the company responsible to minimize environmental impacts and keep the pubic safe.
"The ministry takes all spills and threats to the environment very seriously," spokesperson Gary Wheeler wrote in a statement to CBC News.
"Under the Environmental Protection Act, the party responsible for the spill – in this case Hazmat Environmental Group Inc. is required to take immediate action to report the spill, mitigate the impacts and restore the natural environment."
On Thursday afternoon, hours into the highway being closed, the Ministry of Transportation spokesperson Julia Caslin said there was no spill. Follow up questions about what had occurred have not yet been answered.
"The westbound lanes of Highway 402 between Centre Road and Kerwood Road will remain closed the remainder of the day," said Sgt. Ed Sanchuk on Thursday morning. "Hazmat teams continue to unload approximately 45,000 litres of monochloroacetic acid from a tanker truck that was involved in the crash with a passenger vehicles yesterday."
UPDATE- the westbound lanes of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Hwy402?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Hwy402</a> will remain CLOSED between Centre Road and Kerwood Road in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Strathroy?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Strathroy</a> as hazmat teams continue to unload 45,000 litres of acid from a transport truck that was involved in a crash. Re-opening time is estimated at 4PM today. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WROPP?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WROPP</a> ^es <a href="https://t.co/GtAmLL7aIN">pic.twitter.com/GtAmLL7aIN</a>
—@OPP_WRThe OPP said it's working with emergency responders and the Ministry of the Environment to ensure all individuals in the area remain safe.
The area is not being evacuated, said Sanchuk, and nearby residents do not need to stay inside their homes. The public is asked to avoid the crash site as crews continue their work.
"We've had individuals trying to walk up the highway to have a look, or driving a golf cart," said Sanchuk. "The highways are closed for everybody's health and for public safety, so we're asking people to use some common sense."
The driver of a passenger vehicle cut off the tractor-trailer and the truck ended up in the ditch. No one was seriously injured in the crash, police said.
CBC News reached out to comment from Hazmat Environmental Group Inc. and will update the story if they respond.