60,000 pounds of chemical spills in West Chester

WEST CHESTER, Ohio (WKRC) - The “shelter-in-place” order from emergency officials was lifted in West Chester after a chemical spill Wednesday evening, October 19. The West Chester Fire Department asked people to stay inside because of a chemical lime spill. The West Chester Fire Chief told Local 12 News the situation was under control Wednesday night. Officials dumped a large amount of water on the lime and that brought the situation under control. 60,000 pounds of lime was accidentally dumped and it created a hazardous cloud. Lime can cause skin and eye irritation and respiratory issues. It happened around 5 p.m. at Superior Environmental Solutions Inc. "SES" collects waste water from other companies and treats it with lime. Officials were called after a worker accidentally dumped the chemical. A “shelter-in-place” order was given. The fire department encouraged those in the area to remain indoors with windows and doors closed and HVAC systems off. The area evacuated was mostly industrial in the surrounding businesses. The properties affected included the area south of Muhlhauser to Crescentville, between SR-747 and International. Commerce Park Drive was closed to traffic between Duff and Crescentville. Officials said the precautions were taken to keep people safe. The fire chief said there were two reported injuries because of the incident. Those people were driving through the area at the time of the spill. Both suffered throat irritation and transported themselves to the hospital. The chief said he believed both were going to be OK.