LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas – Highway 59 has reopened in Liberty County after a truck carrying a highly explosive chemical shut the freeway down.
Hazmat crews from eight different agencies were called out to deal with the potentially explosive situation north of Cleveland.
A FedEx truck carrying 200 gallons of liquefied peroxide was pulled over, in danger of exploding. The crews acted fast to take protective measures.
"We did evacuate a business," said Deputy Chief Sean Anderson of the Cleveland Fire Department. "We did shut the freeway down."
A driver was transporting the material when he noticed the refrigeration system was malfunctioning. That's bad news, because if the chemical rises above 50 degrees it could become flammable and potentially explode.
Todd Desormeaux came home to see the truck and hazmat teams only about 100 yards from his house. He and the firefighters are thankful for the driver's quick action, even describing him as a hero.
"For him knowing what product he had and how reactive it could be. Yes sir, then he could be," said Deputy Chief Anderson.
"It's scary to get a phone call that says, 'Hey there could be an explosion in your backyard,'" added Desormeaux. "Very thankful that he took the appropriate action and got some help."
