MITCHELL COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — An incident involving a tanker and a subsequent hazmat spill in Mitchell County is expected to close a road at least until Thursday morning, Sept. 8.
Rohn W. Silvers with North Carolina State Highway Patrol said crews received a call that a tanker hauling 4,500 gallons of hydrofluorosilicic acid crashed on NC-226, at NC-197, at about 9:15 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 7, and a hazmat spill occurred.
Crews with Emergency Management of Mitchell County and Asheville Hazmat are on the scene to contain the spill, and measures have been taken to prevent more environmental damage, according to Silvers.
The driver was taken to Mission Hospital with minor injuries.
Silvers added that authorities don’t believe the trucker actually crashed; rather, that something in the roadway or shoulder punctured the tanker or the valve.
By 3 p.m. Wednesday, troopers said all roads were back open except a half-mile stretch of NC-197 where the spill occurred. This section of the road will remain closed until at least Thursday morning.
Mitchell County Schools announced that some buses traveling to the northern end of the county will have to be re-routed. Students in the affected areas may arrive home later than usual.
Drivers should take the following detour:
- NC 197N at Yancey/Mitchell Line
- 226 N at Fork Mtn Road
- NC 226 south, near Red Hill
Original article online at: https://wlos.com/news/local/hazmat-spill-nc226-mitchell-county-road-closed-red-hill-emergency-management-hydrofluorosilicic-acid
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