A leak at a chemical plant in Oshkosh led to a precautionary evacuation of residents in the area on Friday afternoon. The leak of muriatic acid occurred at Hydrite Chemical on the city’s south side.
“It was in a 7,000 gallon tank,” said Oshkosh Fire Department spokesman John Holland. “The tank failed, and spilled what they were guessing to be about a thousand gallons.”
The acid was contained by a berm around the tank. “It did exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Holland. “Even so, we wanted to make sure that people in the general area were safe, so we did evacuate about a three-quarter mile area around the plant itself.”
The leak reported just before 1:00 p.m. Firefighters reported the spill contained by just before 3:00 p.m. Muriatic acid is a form of hydrochloric acid which can cause respiratory system burns if inhaled. No injuries were reported.