A portion of I-55 in Kentwood, LA was closed for several hours following a hazmat spill. Officials said a delivery truck slammed into the back of a tanker truck hauling a petroleum-based, flammable cleaning solvent. Around 6,000 gallons of the chemical spilled onto the interstate and into Terrys Creek.
One of the drivers suffered substantial injuries. The other driver only sustained minor injuries. Both were transferred to a local hospital for treatment.
Dawson Primes, director of Homeland Security and Emergency Management in Tangipahoa Parish, said the clean-up was expected to take around six hours. Heavy equipment can not be used during the clean-up as the danger of igniting the chemical is too high. Primes added “They are trying to size up what’s needed and where it’s needed. They’ll direct everybody what to do from this point forward. There’s still a little bit of chemical that’s left in the tank, and they’re trying to keep it from spilling out.”
