Commercial truck rolls over, leaks hazardous material, closing Interstate 10 in Tucson

A hazardous chemical leak from a rollover crash involving a commercial tanker truck closed Interstate 10 in both directions in Tucson.

The crash happened at around 2:43 p.m. on I-10 near Kolb and Rita Roads on Tuesday. The freeway was closed as crews worked to mitigate the situation, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.

University of Arizona police later tweeted that anyone within a one mile of the crash should shelter in place and turn off any air-conditioning units that bring in outside air.

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UA police later said the Pima County Sheriff’s Department instructed all personnel at the university’s Tech Park to evacuate.

The Tucson Fire Department tweeted that the hazardous material was nitric acid, a highly corrosive material that can irritate one’s skin, eyes and mucous membrane if exposed, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

“The Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit, along with partner agencies, are working together to mitigate the incident. Out of an abundance of caution, first responders are working to evacuate a perimeter around the area of the incident,” Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesperson Raul Garcia Jr told The Arizona Republic.

Details surrounding what caused the crash were not immediately available Tuesday afternoon.

The incident comes a little more than a week after a train derailment in Ohio caused a chemical fire and forced evacuations as hazmat teams burned five tankers filled with vinyl chloride, sending hydrogen chloride and the toxic gas phosgene into the air.

The Ohio evacuations have since been lifted as officials deemed the air quality to be safe.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Commercial truck rolls over, leaks hazardous material, closing Interstate 10 in Tucson