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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – A chemical spill closed a busy intersection on Tucson’s east side Thursday afternoon, forcing nearby businesses to shelter in place for hours.
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The spill happened at the intersection of Pima Street and Craycroft Road, where authorities said more than 100 gallons of muriatic acid spilled onto the street.
Chris Cox, a manager at Wings and Rice, said he saw firefighters in gas masks running toward the business telling people to get inside.
“I go run out there, as soon as I run out there to go see the juice, there was a fireman in gas masks, six or eight of them running towards us running telling us time to get inside,” Cox said.
Lyle Steffens, a TFD Battalion Chief, said muriatic acid is a very strong acid that can eat through materials.
“It’s a very strong acid, so it will eat through stuff. If it gets on anything, it’s gonna eat through it. If you get a large dose of, uh, concentrated fumes from it, it’s gonna have quite an effect on you,” Steffens said.
The chemical is most commonly used in pools or for pool cleaning to bring down the pH levels in the water.
Steffens said the chemical can be dangerous if left untreated.
“It will eat through skin and flesh, not immediately upon contact, but it does start working immediately upon contact.”
Once TFD arrived on scene and tended to people needing medical care, they closed the intersection to avoid anyone else being affected by the fumes. They also initiated a shelter-in-place order for nearby businesses.
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Steffens said people approaching the scene within 100 feet or so, depending on wind direction, could start picking up on the fumes.
Cox said the shelter-in-place order was concerning for the local restaurant.
“We are a local restaurant so we were a little bit concerned when they said we might have to evacuate and shut down for the night because that matters to us,” Cox said.
Steffens said no one was seriously hurt, but it could have been a much worse had the chemical gotten on someone’s skin.
“We have dealt with things of this nature, um, because we’re in Southern Arizona and we have pools, we have all the chemicals that come with them,” Steffens said.
“When you’re dealing with these type of chemicals, you take a little time and make sure that you do it correctly,” Steffens said.
Steffens said if you come in contact with a chemical like muriatic acid, you should remove your clothes immediately and wash your skin with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes.
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