Posted on 07/21/2004 6:18:09 PM PDT by ArmstedFragg
Large HazMat spill reported in the Deer Springs area in northern San Diego County. Highway 15 has been shut down in both directions.
Reports from the scene indicate a 3000 gallon tanker full of a corrosive liquid is outgassing, creating a cloud that's blowing across the freeway.
CHP is reporting difficulty in getting motorists to stop. Multiple drivers have traversed through the cloud.
San Diego TV sites and the California Highway Patrol C.A.D. site would probably be the best way to follow this.
Bump!
Here's the CHP log (most recent update) for those that want to follow: http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/post?id=1175957%2C1
6:23PM - 92-19M - DEER SPRINGS AT 395 NEEDS TO BE CLOSED PLS ADVS STAM NEED A UNIT THERE
6:22PM - CP NB JSO DEER SPRINGS SAFETY OFFICER CAPT GARDENER FRM DEER SPRINGS FIRE
6:20PM - STAM WILL BE ENRT FOR CLOSURES AND NOTIFY RESIDENTS
6:20PM - 19M SHUTDOWN TRAFF JSO DEER SPRINGS
6:20PM - CHEMICAL INITIALLY IDENTIFIED AS "INORGANIC CHROMIUM", PLACARD #3264 - A CORROSIVE
6:19PM - 1039 STAM LAW CC
6:18PM - SHELTER IN PLACE AND CLOSE ALL WINDOWS
6:18PM - ALSO, HAVE STAM NOTIFY HOUSES ON TOP OF HILL JEO THE SPILL
6:17PM - 92-22 IS SOLO THERE, VEHS ARE DRIVING THRU THE CLOUD
6:17PM - SEE IF STAM CAN RESPOND TO OLD 395 AT 15, NEED TO SHUTDOWN TRAFFIC THERE
6:15PM - 1039 LT RENNIE - OCN - WCB W/FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS - LT RENNIE WILL CONTACT 92-C
6:14PM - 1039 CT 722 FOR CLSRS NB & SB 15, ETA 30-45 MINS
6:13PM - 395 NOT COMPLETELY CLOSED
6:12PM - NEED A UNIT FOR JSO DEER SPRINGS TO TURN AROUND TRAFF
6:12PM - D21 TURNING TRAFFIC AROUND TO GO BACK TWD 78
6:11PM - FD HAS HAZMAT TEAM ENRT, HAVE TO SHUT DOWN ALL RDWYS 1/2 MILE FRM SOURCE
6:10PM - START CT TO OLD 395 AT 15 FOR CLOSURE
6:09PM - FOR INFO REG CLOSURES
6:08PM - SB 15 AT LAWRENCE WELK, CLOSED
6:07PM - NB 15 JNO DEER SPRINGS, NB 15 IS CLOSED
6:06PM - 1039 FD W/UPDATE
6:06PM - FD 1097
6:05PM - 1039 124-L1, L2
6:04PM - 1039 PSDSI TAYLOR
6:04PM - SIG ALERT ISSUED FOR 395 CLOSURE
6:04PM - SHUTTING DOWN OLD 395 BOTH DIRECTIONS
5:59PM - ROLL FIRE PLS
Not hearing anything yet on local news (on TV, had been trying to check them for this, but may have missed it) but here are sites:
www.kfmb.com (channel 8/CBS)
www.kgtv.com (channel 10/ABC)
www.knsd.com (channel 7/39/NBC)
www.signonsandiego.com (SD Union Tribune Paper)
http://cad.chp.ca.gov/
and choose San Diego (border) dispatch area.
The substance is reported to be "Inorganic Chromium", placard 3264, anybody know anything about it?
SigAlert now in effect. Highway 15 is heavily traveled at this time of the day.
Sheriffs are on the way to assist in the event evacuations are needed.
FINALLY someone's talking about it...
KFMB is mentioning it as a breaking news story now at the bottom of the hour 6:30...talking about the cloud and 15 closed completely there. For those not familiar with the area, it's south of Temecula at the north end of San Diego (near the Hidden Meadows area). This shuts down (indefinitely, per the report) one of the two routes from San Diego to Orange County/LA/Riverside, making 5 the alternate...which is a mess (and they had been steering people away from earlier) b/c of the Opening Day at Del Mar Racetrack. Earlier today 5 was closed near the border patrol crossing due to another big rig event.
oops! Linked the wrong thing for CHP, but someone else caught it and linked it the right way.
Now the CHP log is saying possible long-term closure. http://cad.chp.ca.gov/
6:31PM - NEED SAND AND SIGN TRUCKS
6:31PM - ADVISED POSS LONG TERM CLOSURES
6:31PM - CMS S - NB 15 JNO 94, NB 163 JSO GENESEE - ACTIVATED "NORTH 15 CLOSED AT GOPHER CYN"
6:28PM - 19M / NB JSO DEER SPRINGS DIVERTING TRAFFIC
6:27PM - NEED CT WITH SIGN TRUCKS AS MANY AS POSS FOR NB AND SB 15
POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS FOLLOWING EXPOSURE TO INORGANIC CHROMIUM
The adverse effects of chromium and its inorganic compounds vary according to valence state, water solubility and dose. However, the hexavalent chromium compounds-chromates, dichromates and chromic acid-are of most concern in both acute exposures and chronic exposure to lower concentrations.
Route of Entry into the Body
The routes of inorganic chromium entry into the body are through inhalation, ingestion and percutaneous absorption. Occupational exposure generally occurs through inhalation and dermal contact. The absorption of chromium is dependent on the valence and water-solubility of the chromium compound. Soluble forms of hexavalent chromium are readily absorbed by inhalation. Dermal absorption may also occur. Absorption of water-soluble hexavalent chromium through the gastrointestinal tract is about 10 per cent.
Took a look at the DOT HazMat site. The fact sheet on the substance suggests a half mile radius for the evacuation area. The wind's from the west at the moment, and there's not much in the way of housing to east until you get to Hidden Meadows, so it looks like we got lucky as far as a location. Two miles north of there and it would have been blowing into Welk-ville.
They're taking it seriously enough that both county and SD city HazMat teams are enroute.
Boy is the San Diego highway grid going to be messed up tonight. Hope there are no injuries!
Buddy of mine is teaching a University of Phoenix class in San Diego right now. Just sent a text message alert about this to his mobile phone.
Probably "Corrosive liquid, acidic, inorganic, n.o.s., 8, UN 3264 PG ?, contains chromium"........ This is some form of acid with chromium, probably common to the electroplating industry. The reason it is off-gassing is because it is reacting with something. Maybe the tanker wasn't cleaned out before loading this acid and it's reacting with a previous content. Could be the problem started prior to loading it and just now showing a problem.
These folks need their heads examined. Nobody in their right mind insists on driving through an unidentified (and probably foul-smelling) cloud when police are telling them not to.
No kidding...for those that aren't locals and haven't seen the overhead views of the traffic situation tonight PRIOR to this, it'll be hard to imagine what a HUGE MESS this is going to cause to an already big traffic mess tonight :-( The races really screwed up 5...so that means anyone going north/south is really going to be in the midst of a mess.
I remember the last time we had a huge incident in almost the exact same spot...maybe 14-18 months ago and a guy was basically threatening suicide and they closed the road down there again. It was a bit earlier in the day, but it was also a Wed and I remember the video of the folks stuck all the way north far beyond Temecula, as 74/Ortega Highway is really the only way across depending on where it's really closed (meaning if it rules out 76 as a semi-alternate)...and that's not much of an alternate...
Hopefully everyone stays safe...and thank goodness it's not a holiday or weekend getaway day when the traffic going through that area would have been even worse.
The closure for northbound traffic is now being moved to Highway 78 and the 15. That's a logical point, but it's not a choke point because there's too many routes around it. It's going to take dozens of personnel to shut down all those alternate routes.
Until the reopening, everybody going north is going to end up on the 5. Charming. They, and the racetrack traffic should make a lovely mix.
I can see 15 from my balcony and I just saw a train of emergency vehicles streaming past with lights and sirens on heading north. I'm in the Lake Hodges area, so they're heading in the direction (in the median) of the spill. Not sure if that's where they are going or if there is some other incident, but I went and looked after hearing the sirens and I saw four go past...not sure what else may have preceeded it. Freeway is moving better down here than I expected. I suspect they are funneling people who will be trying to go north onto 78 West to get to 5.
Yup, definitely the plan, they just moved the northbound closure south to 78...
WOW...............gonna be a long night. They are obviously not messing around with this spill.
I can't even begin to imagine how bad the I-5 is going to be this evening. As has been stated, it was bad enough with the racetrack traffic but with all the rerouting from the 15, might be a good time for commuters to just get a room and not even attempt the drive.
I'm wondering how long the clean up might take? We're supposed to leave tomorrow morning to head up to Northridge to get ready for my son's wedding. We may have to look for "creative" routes.
LOL...Charming could be a word ;-)
Glad I can observe from home and watch and see what I can see from here and not have to be a part of the mess :-)
I hope folks are listening to KNX or 760 or something to hear traffic reports...or they will be in for a very unfortunate surprise.
78 definitely makes sense, but you are definitely right about all the ways around it...especially on the east side with all of the Escondido ramps that are still north of it, and many folks well aware of them. They will REALLY be stuck if they try that, I suspect...slow moving on surface streets that everyone else is trying, only to find that they are facing hard closures and being turned right back around...
Hopefully enough info will come out by later tonight about the status that you'll be able to plan... If they can't get it open before tomorrow morning it's REALLY going to create even more havoc...I can't imagine what that would cause. Thankfully it was late enough that at least SOME folks had already gotten through...had this happened two hours earlier when the earlier shifts of commuters hadn't even gotten through...yikes... On the other hand, all those that GOT through may now be stuck.
Wow.....................
Hopefully you don't have to get too creative on your routes up for the wedding, Kyla!
San Diego's Hazmat just passed RB and the 15, so that may have been county's units you saw earlier.
Not sure which station's traffic reporter is doing it, but some idiot is advising motorists to go the wrong way up the Gopher Canyon onramp, which has resulted in over a hundred wrong-way drivers on the north end of this incident. Hopefully, after it's all over, they'll get a note from the CHP members who are frantically trying to unwravel the mess they're creating.
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/sandiegotraffic/index.html
Well I can't get onto the CHP site now, it's giving me overload messages...so for those interested, this is an alternate that seems to always have the same log as the CHP site, just not as convenient.
Need Freeway to Be Closed at the 78 6:44 PM
Message Sign S Changed to Read "nb 15 Closed at Deer Springs" 6:44 PM
Message/Item Delivered Esc Police Department, Moving the Closure to the 78 6:45 PM
Regarding Route Caltrans to North 15 at 78 to Effect Closure 6:45 PM
CHP Unit Enroute 6:47 PM
CHP Unit Enroute 6:48 PM
Alternate Routes: 15 to 76 to 5 to 78 to 15 *** or *** 15 to 76 T0 78 to 15 6:49 PM
Need an Additional Closure at Gopher Canyon, 115-51 En Route There 6:50 PM
115-51 Attempting to Turn Around the Wrong Way Drivers 6:51 PM
115-51 Close the Freeway and Divert Traff off to Gopher Canyon 6:51 PM
CHP Unit on Scene 6:51 PM
CHP Unit on Scene 6:52 PM
Appx 100 Cars Trying to Go Wrong Way Traff Backed Up a Mile from Gopher 6:53 PM
CHP Unit Enroute
Outgassing?
Outgassing?
Sounds like the author of this has been in this country a long distance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.