KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — Crews from Loudon and Knox counties responded after a semi-truck began leaking hazardous material at a truck stop on Watt Road.
The Loudon County Sheriff's Office said county EMA and fire crews responded with Knox County Rural Metro to the TA Travel Center on Watt Road.
According to deputies, a semi-truck began leaking an unspecified hazardous substance. Rural Metro hazmat teams arrived to assist with cleaning the spill up.
LCSO said people should avoid the area and use alternate routes if possible as crews respond.
The Knoxville-Knox County Emergency Management Agency said by 10 p.m. that the scene was contained and they would keep a team in the area as they finished clearing it. They said most other first responders were going back to their normal locations.
They said the material was "peroxyacetic acid." According to the USDA, the acid is colorless with a strong, vinegar-like odor. They said it is used in food and beverage industries, as well as hospitals, health care facilities and pharmaceutical facilities as an antimicrobial agent, surface cleaner and sanitizer.
In its concentrated form, it can be corrosive and unstable. Commercial products with peroxyacetic acid contain the acid's formative chemicals in an aqueous solution, often with stabilizers added, according to the USDA.
They also said two people were driving through the area and ended up driving themselves to the hospital.
"Yesterday, TEMA received notification an unknown substance released from a tractor trailer traveling through Loudon County. Loudon County EMA requested support and two TEMA district coordinators responded to the scene along with several local and state agencies. As a result, on-site incident command was established among the responding agencies. TEMA supported the event through incident command support and coordination of resource requests. As of yesterday evening, the incident had stabilized and returned back to Loudon County EMA for any additional actions," the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency said.