Company Says Toxic Waste Was Stored Properly Before Fire
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- The company who owned the toxic waste that burst into flames in a tractor trailer parked in Sacramento Wednesday insists they followed federal law and stored the chemicals properly.
Clean Harbor Environmental Services representatives said the chemicals -- described primarily as paint thinners, solvents, refrigerator oils and batteries -- were handled according to regulations.
Sacramento City firefighters remained at the scene of the fire on the 8500 block of Elder Creek Road on Thursday to assist in the cleanup of 88 drums of toxic chemicals that suddenly erupted into flames and sent noxious smoke over South Sacramento.
White vapor was seen leaking out of the trailer early Wednesday, but the chemicals caught fire late in the afternoon while firefighters waited for equipment to lift out the heavy drums of chemicals, which prevented earlier access to the source of the smoke.
"We always knew that the possibility existed for that chemical reaction," said Sacramento Fire Deputy Chief Lloyd Ogan. "There was no way for us to stop the chemical reaction."
Clean Habor has been cited nearly a dozen times by the Environmental Protection Agency, but none of the issues were reported in the Sacramento area, and officials have not reported finding any violations in their current investigation.
