SALT LAKE CITY -- A railcar leaking acid forced the closure of major highways and the evacuation of more than 6,000 people.

    By late Sunday, about 5,000 of the 13,000 gallons of industrial waste had leaked into the ground, but South Salt Lake fire officials were hoping to pump out the rest within a few hours and end the evacuation.

    There were no injuries, but the area downwind of the leak was evacuated because of fumes from the spill, Fire Chief Steve Foote said. Evacuation centers were set up at church meeting houses, but most of those evacuated were staying with friends or relatives.

    The waste, eventually found to be hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, nitric and sulfuric acids, was discovered leaking about 6 a.m. and the tanker wall was becoming soft, Foote said Sunday night.

    Officials brought in 6,500-gallon portable tank.

    They first planned to lift a hazmat technician in a cherry picker to the top of the tanker so he could attach a hose to the rail tanker and pump the acids into the portable tanks.

    However, they changed their plans after a specialist from Las Vegas arrived and the latest idea was to pierce the side of the tank with remotely operated equipment and pump it into the portable tanks.

    "Once we have one tank that's filled and holding, we could lift the evacuation order," Foote said.

    The cherry-picker plan was being kept in mind as a backup.
    The fire officials and Gov. Jon Huntsman expressed displeasure at the difficulty in determining exactly what was in the tanker.

    "It's tough to know how to respond if you don't know the contents of the bulk container," Huntsman said.

    The leak was discovered while crews were loading chemicals into the parked railcar at a Union Pacific rail yard. Officials said the tanker car was owned by Kennecott Utah Copper and was sublet to Phillips Environmental, which could not tell them immediately what all was in the waste.

    "We're going to be looking into that," Foote said. "When we ask a direct question, we expect a direct answer."

    Eventually, tests determined what acids were in the waste, and Phillips Environmental provided verbal confirmation. Documents finally were delivered late Sunday.

    The spilled acid has not yet been neutralized. Foote said authorities wanted to concentrate on the tanker first.
    Officers closed 600 West from 2100 South to 2700 South. Northbound I-15 from 4500 South to 2100 South, the westbound I-80 off ramp to southbound I-15, and the southbound collector on I-15 up to westbound I-80 also were closed.

    The area south and east of the rail yard was evacuated. A little less than one square mile recommended for evacuation, with less than half of that a mandatory evacuation area.

    The acids were not full strength but still are highly toxic and can cause severe burns if they come in direct contact with the skin or eyes, and the fumes can cause respiratory problems.