Nearby stores were evacuated as a precaution Tuesday during the cleanup of a chemical spill on the 700 block of West and Asbury avenues in downtown Ocean City.
At about 11:45 a.m., a delivery driver reported that the chemicals sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite had spilled from the back of his truck, city spokesman Doug Bergen said. Those chemicals are caustic substances used as drain cleaners and water disinfectants.
Because of risks associated with direct contact with the chemicals and with breathing fumes from them, nearby businesses were evacuated while cleanup was done by the Cape May County Hazmat Unit, Bergen said.
The Ocean City Public Works Department provided loads of sand to help with the cleanup. The truck owner contracted with an environmental company to complete the cleanup, according to Bergen.
The spill was limited to the asphalt of an alley and did not reach any storm drain or permeable surface, he said.
(More details on this story will be provided as they become available).
