Truck springs chemical leak near Covington

A hazardous materials team joined police and firefighters at a Covington area shopping center Thursday afternoon after a trucker reported a corrosive chemical was leaking from inside his tractor-trailer.

No one was injured and the shopping area south of Interstate 12 at Louisiana 21 was not evacuated. But the spill's proximity to shoppers made safety a priority.

"We're at a mall," said Carol Petranek of the staz monitoring tests found no volatile organic compounds, and only trace amounts of the chemical were released, she said.

The spill occurred in the parking lot between the back of Rose's Nails and Kirkland's Home stores, where the USA Truck hauler had pulled over. Fire officials said the driver noticed the leak; he contacted police at about 12:45 p.m. The site was cordoned off with red tape to keep drivers and bystanders away.

Fire officials said the trucker was en route from Texas to Alabama. Petranek said hazardous materials personnel would clean the spill inside the truck and pack the leaking drum inside another drum; the truck was to be diverted to a secure facility for another cleanup.

Source