I-5 Acid Spill Closes On-Ramps in Burbank

The discovery of small amount of hydrochloric acid leaking from the bottom of a trailer rig forced officials to close a set of freeway on-ramps in Burbank for more than two hours Wednesday morning, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol said.

Officer Janet Engler said the Alameda Avenue on- and off-ramps to the southbound Golden State Freeway were closed after a truck driver carrying chemicals, including the hydrochorlic acid, noticed his truck was leaking at about 6 a.m. Hydrochloric acid fumes can be toxic if inhaled, Engler said.

The spill was cleaned up by the Burbank Fire Department, Caltrans workers and a hazardous-materials team from the Los Angeles City Fire Department, Engler said. The on-ramps were reopened at 8:43 a.m. No injuries were reported. Engler said she did not know how much acid spilled.