HOUSTON – The Houston Fire Department's hazmat team is working to help clear the scene of an overturned 18-wheeler in the Heights.
According to authorities, the truck, carrying ethanolamine, overturned in a residential area near West 6th Street and Rutland streets.
Ethanolamine is a colorless, viscous liquid that smells similar to ammonia. In drug from, it has antihistaminic property.
Officials said the truck is fully intact and there are no leaks, but the product will have to be offloaded from the truck before the cleanup can be completed.
Eighteen homes, containing 30 people, were evacuated from the area, according to the Fire Department.
People who live in the Heights neighborhood said they were shocked to see the big rig in the middle of the street early Tuesday morning.
“I could see lights flashing and headlights that didn’t look like it was in the right position and it looked like a much larger, oversized vehicle, which isn’t what you typically run into,” Scott said.
“I’m just surprised there was an 18-wheeler going down this street,” Juan Franco said.
KPRC was told that the driver hadn’t intended to be in the neighborhood.
“Our understanding was they got turned around and were trying to get out of the neighborhood, cut the corner and ended up going into the culvert,” said District Chief Edward Llewellyn, with Houston Fire Station 6 D-Shift.
The trucking company Action Resources released the following statement:
“We have no comment, other than we are in the middle of investigating the situation and we take the public’s safety very seriously."
There is no word on how long cleanup efforts could take.