Part of Faith Home Road in Ceres closed following pool chemical spill
A mile of roadway on Faith Home Road in Ceres is expected to be closed for “several hours” Tuesday after a truck crashed and spilled pool chemicals, the Ceres Fire Department said.
Hazardous materials teams from Ceres and Modesto responded Tuesday after the truck was involved in a single-vehicle crash on Faith Home between Hatch Road and Whitmore Avenue, Ceres battalion chief Jeff Serpa said. He said the Ceres Police Department is investigating how the incident occurred but could not provide further details.
The driver was uninjured, but the pool chemicals in the truck, including chlorine and muriatic acid, spilled onto the roadway, Serpa said.
Serpa said first responders contained the situation, and a private contractor will handle the remaining work.
“It’s not going to get any worse, so we’re just letting the company come in with the clean-up crew,” Serpa said.
Serpa said the chemicals spilled on the roadway and not into the ground.
The biggest risks to both civilians and firefighters would be injuries from inhalation or touching the chemicals, but the department is making sure no one is exposed. A few residents in the area were notified of the incident and told to shelter in place.
Road blocks have been set up to keep civilians out of the area between Hatch and Whitmore until cleanup is completed, Serpa said.
