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Glue spill closes I-10-Pomerene Road intersection
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Spilled glue caused a sticky situation in Benson Wednesday, as fire crews closed the intersection at 4th Street and Pomerene Road for more than 11 hours.
Benson Fire Chief Keith Spangler said around 8 a.m. a man driving an 18-wheeler pulled off Interstate 10 at the Pomerene exit to let his dog out for a short time.
After getting out of the truck, the driver said he smelled something. Opening the back of his truck, he saw that two barrels of styrene monomer, a kind of glue, had tipped over and one barrel was punctured.
Spangler said he pulled the truck into the open area at the corner of Patagonia and 4th, and called his company, which told him a cleanup crew would be sent from Mesa.
The driver estimated about a half gallon of the glue had seeped out, but none was on the roadway.
Styrene monomer is an aromatic hydrocarbon which, under normal conditions, is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid. It is used in the manufacture of plastics and rubber products.
Spangler said the glue is highly flammable and is known to explode at temperatures as low as 86 degrees.
"Hazard data said it is highly flammable at up to 1,000 feet, which is why we had to close off the area," Spangler said. "We had to take the required precautionary measures."
Fire officials were concerned because the truck contained 94 barrels of the highly flammable substance.
Spangler said the situation could have been cleared sooner, but Hazmat crews sent from Mesa did not bring the correct gear to remove the glue. They had to wait for the hazardous materials crew from the Fry Fire Department to arrive.
Fry Fire put the punctured barrel into a bigger container and the truck was relocated to Tim's Wrecker in Benson where it is awaiting a proper cleanup crew.
Spangler said the intersection was finally reopened after 7 p.m.
Pomerene residents were rerouted on Interstate 10, where they had to travel eastbound to near Stucky's and turn around to take the westbound I-10 exit into Pomerene.
Spangler said the driver was taking the styrene monomer to California.
Spilled glue caused a sticky situation in Benson Wednesday, as fire crews closed the intersection at 4th Street and Pomerene Road for more than 11 hours.
Benson Fire Chief Keith Spangler said around 8 a.m. a man driving an 18-wheeler pulled off Interstate 10 at the Pomerene exit to let his dog out for a short time.
After getting out of the truck, the driver said he smelled something. Opening the back of his truck, he saw that two barrels of styrene monomer, a kind of glue, had tipped over and one barrel was punctured.
Spangler said he pulled the truck into the open area at the corner of Patagonia and 4th, and called his company, which told him a cleanup crew would be sent from Mesa.
The driver estimated about a half gallon of the glue had seeped out, but none was on the roadway.
Styrene monomer is an aromatic hydrocarbon which, under normal conditions, is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid. It is used in the manufacture of plastics and rubber products.
Spangler said the glue is highly flammable and is known to explode at temperatures as low as 86 degrees.
"Hazard data said it is highly flammable at up to 1,000 feet, which is why we had to close off the area," Spangler said. "We had to take the required precautionary measures."
Fire officials were concerned because the truck contained 94 barrels of the highly flammable substance.
Spangler said the situation could have been cleared sooner, but Hazmat crews sent from Mesa did not bring the correct gear to remove the glue. They had to wait for the hazardous materials crew from the Fry Fire Department to arrive.
Fry Fire put the punctured barrel into a bigger container and the truck was relocated to Tim's Wrecker in Benson where it is awaiting a proper cleanup crew.
Spangler said the intersection was finally reopened after 7 p.m.
Pomerene residents were rerouted on Interstate 10, where they had to travel eastbound to near Stucky's and turn around to take the westbound I-10 exit into Pomerene.
Spangler said the driver was taking the styrene monomer to California.
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