Nitric Acid Spill Forces Evacuation, Shuts Freeway

Several gallons of nitric acid spilled from a 200-gallon tank at a Carson metal plating company Thursday, emitting a yellowish cloud above the factory, temporarily shutting down the Harbor Freeway and causing evacuations for a quarter-mile around the plant, officials said.

At approximately 8 a.m., eight metal wheel rims that would normally be dipped quickly into the solution fell into a vat of nitric acid at the Prime Wheel plating company in the 24000 block of Vermont Avenue, said Inspector Henry Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“There was a violent reaction with the metal that caused a yellow-orange type mist,” that at one point was about 40 feet wide and 60 feet high, Rodriguez said.

Firefighters used water streams to keep the cloud from spreading, officials said.

Nitric acid is a corrosive that can injure the lungs if fumes are inhaled, Rodriguez said.

At about 1:30 p.m., hazardous-materials workers removed the rims from the vat, halting the chemical reaction, officials said.

Approximately 300 people were evacuated from the area but there were no injuries, Rodriguez said.