SOUTHBURY – A garbage truck emitting yellowish-orange smoke at 134 Main Street South prompted a hazardous materials response Tuesday afternoon after firefighters determined chlorine gas was present, leading to the evacuation of two lower-level buildings.
The Southbury Volunteer Fire Department was called to the lower level of Bennett Square at around 1:45 p.m. after the truck began smoking, according to Pat Rutledge, a lieutenant with the department.
After firefighters determined chlorine gas was present, crews working near the truck switched to self-contained breathing apparatus because of the gas’s toxicity, Rutledge said.
Crews opened the rear of the truck, unloaded its contents and spread the debris apart with a loader in an effort to isolate the source of the chlorine gas, Rutledge said.
“Once we got the back of the truck open, we dumped everything out, and then it was still pretty smoky,” he said.
Two lower-level buildings in the area were evacuated as a precaution.
Among the affected businesses in the plaza was Tender Years Too Child Development Center. The day care center activated emergency protocols, moving children to the second floor to shelter in place before releasing them early to parents for pickup, according to day care workers.
Rutledge said the buildings were reopened after air monitoring determined it was safe, although the odor of chlorine continued to linger in the lower-level parking lot.
The entrance to Poverty Road from Main Street South was closed during the response but has since reopened.
Mutual aid was provided by the Woodbury, Oxford and Sandy Hook fire departments, while a hazmat team from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) also responded. One police officer was treated at the scene for a smoke-related injury.
By Evan Triantafilidis
The Southbury Record 