Hartford Building Evacuated After Chemical Leak

The ELG Utica Alloys building on West Service Road was evacuated following a chemical spill Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

Between 12 and 14 employees were inside the building and were evacuated as a precaution, according to the state Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection.

DEEP officials said the spill happened when the company attempted to transfer a newly delivered batch of hydrochloric acid, which turned out to be much stronger than usual.

Ten-percent hydrochloric acid is delivered on a daily basis, officials said.

The acid "reacted violently with the pump" during transfer, DEEP spokesman Dwayne Gardner said.

Workers immediately halted the transfer and closed the acid container, Gardner said.

The manufacturer and shipping company were contacted in an effort to find out the exact composition of the batch.

ELG Utica Alloys processes alloys and recycles scrap metal.


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