Major Durham intersection open again after chemical spill

Just as the afternoon commute was shifting into high gear, authorities in Durham shut down a major intersection in the city after over 300 gallons of pool chlorine were spilled from a tank and entered a storm drain, officials said.

Posted 10:29 p.m. Nov 20, 2019 — Updated 12:52 a.m. Nov 21, 2019

Alfred Charles

, WRAL.com managing editor

DURHAM, N.C. — Just as the afternoon commute was shifting into high gear, authorities in Durham shut down a major intersection in the city after over 300 gallons of pool chlorine were spilled from a tank and entered a storm drain, officials said.

Deputy Fire Chief Chris Iannuzzi said the incident occurred at 4:30 p.m. at the intersection of North Roxboro Road and Latta Road. The cleanup has since been completed and the road is open again, Iannuzzi said.

David Swain, Division Chief C-Shift for the City of Durham Fire Department, said a man was driving a truck with sodium hypochlorite to a local residential swimming pool. Swain said while the man was braking at a stoplight, a valve sheared off, "which caused the contents of the container to release. There were approximately 330 gallons of the product in the tank and all of it spilled and made its way to a nearby storm drain."

Swain said around 23 Durham firefighters responded to the scene to handle the incident. The spill was diluted until it was safe and no longer posed a hazard. No injuries have been reported.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the chemical is commonly used as a disinfectant and it has multiple uses for residential and commercial purposes, including serving as a disinfectant for drinking water.

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