Ramona

Fifteen gallons of formaldehyde spilled from an overturned truck Tuesday, injuring eight people and forcing the evacuation of four homes.

The injured suffered extreme eye and throat irritation from the chemical’s fumes and were treated at Pomerado Hospital and released, said California Highway Patrol Officer Rocky Rockwell.

The truck, owned by Laidlaw Waste Management, was carrying the anti-bacterial chemical formaldehyde, used to clean portable toilets.

The truck’s driver, John Marc Rodriguez of San Diego, was driving north at 10 a.m. on Pappas Road when he lost control of the vehicle, and it overturned between Rainbird Road and Hereford Drive in the San Diego Country Estates neighborhood near Ramona, said Rockwell.

No more information was available about the crash.

Authorities received a report of an overturned water truck, but the liquid leaking from the ruptured tank was determined to be formaldehyde, Rockwell said.

CHP Officer Diane Lowery, Rodriguez and six nearby residents, inhaled the fumes, he said.

The Ramona Fire Department and San Diego County Hazardous Materials Team also responded. The road was closed until 1:45 p.m. as the chemical was cleaned up.

The truck, about the size of a garbage truck, sustained extensive damage.