Hazmat Spill At City Biz

HARRISONBURG — A hazardous materials leak at a downtown Harrisonburg company forced the evacuation of its employees early Thursday morning.

 

Capt. Arthur Miller of the Harrisonburg Fire Department said a hazardous materials team responded to Intrapac shortly after 3 a.m.

 

Intrapac, located at 810 N. Main St., is a packaging business that caters to pharmaceutical, food and beverage companies.

 

Miller said about 25 gallons of an adhesive that contains highly flammable substances, including toluene, spilled in a storage room in the facility. Investigators determined that a fitting on a transfer pump failed, causing the adhesive to leak.

 

Firefighters, who were on the scene for about three hours, say no one was injured.

 

This is the second hazardous materials incident in the Shenandoah Valley this week.

 

On Monday morning, a broken valve at the Strasburg water treatment plant resulted in at least 200 gallons of caustic soda, a highly acidic material, to leak. The liquid was secured by that evening, officials said.

 

One plant worker came into contact with the chemical and was treated and released from the hospital that afternoon but no other injuries were reported. Officials said the spill posed no threat to nearby residents.

 

Contact Pete DeLea at 574-6278 or pdelea@dnronline.com