UPDATE: Evacuation notice lifted after acid spill in Saskatoon

The all-clear has been given to businesses in Saskatoon’s north end after Friday’s major chemical spill.

A precautionary evacuation notice was lifted Saturday morning.

A Saskatoon Husky plant was evacuated and shut down Friday morning after a large hydrochloric acid spill in the city’s north end. Neighbouring businesses were also told to evacuate and shut down for the day.

The fire department was called just after 9 a.m. on  to Pounder Emulsions, a division of Husky. The company uses hydrochloric acid to create asphalt.  

“A tanker truck had delivered the material to this business and when they were offloading the material, a spill occurred,” Morgan Hackl, assistant chief of the Saskatoon Fire Department, said. 

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The spill happened while a 15,000 litre tanker truck was delivering the acid to a container a the facility. Hackl said up to 10,000 litres may have spilled.

“What we’re going to do is use dry sand to cover the spill, which is the proper way to deal with this type of situation,” Hackl said.

A private company will remove the contaminated sand and dispose of it. 

Husky Energy is now looking into why the spill happened.

“We will undertake an investigation, in fact that investigation is underway. Right now, our priority is the clean up and ensuring the continued safety of our employees and the public,” Mel Duvall, a spokesperson for Husky Energy, said.

Eight people were treated for inhalation of fumes, but were not taken to hospital. Some nearby businesses that were downwind of the spill were also evacuated.

Clean-up at the site continued on Saturday.

panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trelle_K