Stretch of I-10 in Tucson reopens after chemical leak; evacuation orders lifted
Both directions of Interstate 10 in Tucson reopened Wednesday night after a Tuesday afternoon hazardous chemical leak incident caused by a tractor-trailer's deadly rollover.
About 6:45 p.m., the Arizona Department of Public Safety lifted the evacuation orders and announced that lanes in both directions on I-10 had reopened. Local authorities had closed both directions of the highway between Kolb and Rita roads, and had issued a shelter-in-place order for people within a 3-mile radius.
On Tuesday, those within half a mile from the crash were evacuated.
The driver of the truck, which was hauling a box trailer, died sometime after the crash.
Previous coverage:Commercial truck rolls over, leaks hazardous material, closing Interstate 10 in Tucson
Heaters or air-conditioning systems pulling air from the outside were ordered turned off as motorists were urged to find an alternate route, DPS said Wednesday morning, and those farther but within a mile were ordered to shelter in place.
The Vail School District on Wednesday canceled school for five campuses: Vail Academy and High, Cottonwood Elementary, Desert Willow Elementary, Desert Willow Elementary, Desert Sky Middle and Mesquite Elementary.
Bus service to the areas affected by the shelter-in-place order was canceled to all other schools, including the Rita Ranch subdivision and neighborhoods north and south along I-10 between Rita Road and Wilmot Road, the school district stated on its website.
The Tucson Fire Department tweeted the hazardous material was nitric acid, described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a highly corrosive material that can irritate one's skin, eyes and mucous membrane if exposed.
Overnight weather conditions set back hazardous material recovery and mitigation, DPS said Wednesday morning. Crews have removed the tractor-trailer's material, using dirt to mitigate further gassing, DPS added.
DPS has set up a page with incident updates and featuring a map of the affected perimeter.
The crash happened about 2:43 p.m. and the highway was closed for work crews to mitigate the situation, according to DPS. The driver died, DPS added. No cause of death or cause for the crash has been given.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department instructed all personnel at the University of Arizona Tech Park to evacuate on Tuesday, according to university police.
Tucson Councilwoman Nikki Lee posted on Facebook at about 4 p.m. Wednesday that crews had begun removing the driver's body from the vehicle and that the Pima County Medical Examiner's Office was on the scene.
Lee added that the closed section of Interstate 10 is expected to remain that way until at least 8 p.m. Wednesday. Lee said she was also informed that the Tucson Fire Department hadn't received any reports of anyone falling ill from exposure to the nitric acid.
Someone exposed to the nitric acid gas for 15 minutes or more within a mile of the leak should seek medical evaluation if they have developed respiratory complications or new symptoms, according to the Pima County Health Department and Poison Control. These symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, exacerbations of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or asthma and they should be evaluated by a medical professional, according to the county Health Department.
This could possibly include people living within a mile of the leak and who are sheltering in place but are using systems pulling air from outside, the Health Department noted.
A chart illustrating the guidance for exposure was also released Wednesday afternoon.
Just last week, a train derailment in Ohio caused a chemical fire and forced evacuations as hazmat teams burned tankers filled with vinyl chloride, sending hydrogen chloride and the toxic gas phosgene into the air.
The Ohio evacuations were lifted after officials deemed the air quality to be safe.
Republic reporter Perry Vandell contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Stretch of I-10 in Tucson reopens after chemical leak
