A hazardous material spill on Highway 92 forced road closures and a shelter-in-place order Thursday in San Mateo, police said.
The San Mateo Police Department said in an announcement shortly before noon Thursday that officials were examining an apparent liquid spill on eastbound Highway 92 just west of U.S. 101. They asked people in surrounding locations to shelter in place.
The spill came from a flatbed trailer carrying two 230-gallon totes of sodium bisulfate about 10:45 a.m., San Mateo Consolidated Fire Department Fire Marshall Robert Marshal said. One of the totes developed a crack and leaked the corrosive liquid — used to treat water — across all eastbound lanes, he said.
Police shut down 19th Avenue in both directions from Grant Street to South Norfolk Street, and fire department officials said the eastbound lane of Highway 92 was expected to be closed for several hours. The California Highway Patrol also reported that the Delaware Street on-ramp was closed.
Marshal said about 3:30 p.m. that workers were waiting on CalTrans contractors to arrive for clean-up, but he didn’t expect the eastbound lanes to open until at least 11 p.m. Thursday.
The spill forced the Fiesta Gardens International School summer program to shelter in place and ultimately evacuate to College Park Elementary. Marshal said there were no injuries and the spill didn’t pose any hazard to anyone in the area.
Sodium bisulfate is a dry acid that can be harmful if ingested in large amounts, according to Mount Sinai Hospital. San Mateo County officials said in an update Thursday afternoon that the material was “very low risk,” but that anyone who drove through the spill before the closure should rinse their car’s wheels with lots of water.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.