Acid Spill Shuts I-5, Causes Traffic Snarl

An acid spill Thursday afternoon prompted highway officials to close the northbound lanes of the Santa Ana Freeway for several hours, backing up traffic for about 10 miles.

A 30-gallon drum of hydrochloric acid, a strong, highly corrosive substance commonly used to clean metals, apparently fell off the back of a truck, said Marti Hoover, a California Highway Patrol officer. The drum fell as the truck was traveling north, just before the Katella Avenue off-ramp, the CHP said.

“It sure messed things up, that’s for sure,” Hoover said.

The 2 p.m. accident prompted highway officials to close all three northbound lanes of the freeway to keep vehicles from spreading the acid, Hoover said. Two of the three lanes were reopened about 4:45 p.m.

During the cleanup, traffic was diverted off the freeway to Katella Avenue, Hoover said.

The CHP said there were no injuries or evacuations reported in connection with the spill. No one was cited, pending an ongoing investigation, Hoover said.