
A southbound Interstate 25 on-ramp was closed Monday morning in Thornton for a FedEx truck leaking gallons of hydrochloric acid, police said.
As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, the on-ramp to southbound I-25 at 84th Avenue had reopened, according to the Thornton Police Department.
Firefighters responded to the on-ramp at about 1:51 a.m. Monday for a FedEx double-trailer truck that was leaking hydrochloric acid from a storage container, Thornton Fire Department spokesperson Sabrina Iacovetta said.
Roughly 50 to 75 gallons of acid spilled from the 300-gallon container, Iacovetta said.
The driver was en route from a shipping warehouse in Denver to Wyoming when he noticed the leak.
The spill caused no health hazards to the neighboring community and was isolated to the dirt on the side of the southbound on-ramp, Iacovetta said. Investigators believe none of the hydrochloric acid entered waterways or stormwater drains.
Thornton Water will assess waterways in the area on Monday to confirm that there was no contamination, out of an abundance of caution, Iacovetta said. The contaminated soil will be removed.
Police also closed 84th Avenue in both directions from Grant Street to Conifer Road for several hours amid the hazmat investigation, but it reopened at about 8 a.m. Monday.
Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.