Arizona state officials reinstated a shelter-in-place order Wednesday morning for residents near Interstate 10 outside Tucson following a crash that caused hazardous materials to spill in the area.
A commercial tanker truck carrying nitric acid hit the highway median and rolled over on I-10 southeast of downtown Tucson on Tuesday afternoon, killing the driver and spilling the acid on the highway, according to KOLD News 13.
Following the crash, residents within a half-mile were told to evacuate, while those within a mile were directed to shelter in place for several hours.
The order, lifted just before 9 p.m. on Tuesday, was reinstated in the early hours of Wednesday morning. The shelter-in-place order has now expanded to a three-mile radius around the incident site.
The Department of Public Safety “is actively monitoring within these boundaries to ensure public safety and assess the need for possible changes to existing evacuations and shelter-in-place orders,” officials said.
I-10 remains closed in both directions between Kolb and Rita roads in Tucson, according to The Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Authorities have also instructed everyone in the shelter-in-place area to turn off heaters and/or air conditioners that draw in outside air.
Nitric acid is used in the manufacturing of fertilizers, dyes, plastics and explosives. It is a colorless liquid that emits yellow or red fumes and has an acrid odor. It is also highly corrosive. According to the CDC, exposure to it can cause eye and skin irritation, as well as other health problems.