Charlton, MA – Traffic was back up for miles after an accident involving a tractor-trailer damaged a tote containing sulfuric acid Monday afternoon.
At approximately 1:54 p.m. on Monday, May 20th, 2024, the Charlton Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police were dispatched for a reported vehicle accident in the area of mile marker 84.4 Eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90). While en route crews were notified there were no injuries but fluids were leaking from a vehicle.
According to the Charlton Fire Department, when crews arrived on the scene they found the accident involved a tractor-trailer which had subsequently stopped in the breakdown lane. The driver notified responders that his cargo manifest contained 330 gallons of sulfuric acid which he believed was the leaking substance.
Crews immediately referenced their Emergency Response Guidebook (ERG) (a standard on most fire apparatus) and determined a Tier 1 (Hazardous & Risk Assessment) HAZMAT response from the Department of Fire Services (DFS) was warranted. Crews were also able to determine that there was no immediate harm to passing motorists. With the assistance of the Massachusetts State Police and Department of Transportation, the breakdown lane and right travel lane were closed to allow responders to safely work.
While awaiting the DFS HAZMAT team, Charlton crews began mitigating the incident, as allowed by their scope of HAZMAT certification, utilizing speedy dry to stop the spread of the spilled substance. When the first two members from DFS arrived on the scene they performed an evaluation and determined a Tier 2 response would be required to mitigate the situation. A Tier 2 response is utilized for “short-term operations with limited release” and is made up of 20 HAZMAT technicians and 2 support vehicles.
Once the full team was assembled, crews made entry into the vehicle and determined the safest course of action would be to unload all cargo before mitigating the leak. Once this long process was completed, crews were able to determine approximately 80 gallons of Sulfuric Acid had leaked from the container.
A cleanup crew was brought in to securely transport the damaged container and all remaining cargo was transferred to a secondary vehicle to be transported.
Responders cleared the scene around midnight.
Agencies on the scene included the Charlton Fire Department, Massachusetts State Police, Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and the Special Signal Association Providence Canteen.