MISSION VIEJO : Toxic Spill Closes Street for 2 Hours
A toxic chemical spill closed a half-mile stretch of Madero south of Los Alisos Boulevard for two hours Thursday, but no one was injured or evacuated.
Two 4-liter glass bottles of highly flammable liquid dichloromethane broke open at 12:40 p.m. in the trailer of a truck, which was delivering the chemical to a nearby light industrial complex, Orange County Firefighter Terry Gorgen said.
The driver of the Motor Cargo of Montebello truck called 911 and the Orange County Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials team, three engine companies and seven Orange County sheriff’s deputies responded, Gorgen said.
The spill was confined to the truck.
Gorgen said dichloromethane is used in organic chemistry and in paint solvents. Besides being explosive, it can cause respiratory distress, vomiting and burns, he said.
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