Cause of Royal Chemical tanker explosion in Macedonia still under investigation

Authorities are still investigating the cause of a tanker explosion Wednesday at Royal Chemical in Macedonia that resulted in two hospitalizations, including one individual with life-threatening injuries, according to the Macedonia Fire Department.

Another individual was injured but treated at the scene and later released.

The individual with severe life-threatening burns remains hospitalized, the city said in a release Thursday. There are no status updates on their condition.

Progress has been made cleaning up the sodium hydroxide that spilled during the Wednesday morning incident, the city said. Cleveland-based EnviroServe is leading the cleanup, under guidance from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

The chemical spill was contained by the Summit County HazMat team on Wednesday, the city said. The cleanup of the property and the surrounding environment includes a drainage ditch near the building, as well as the decontamination and removal of any nearby vehicles that were affected by the explosion.

Macedonia firefighters who responded to the incident reported there was no fire, but the explosion ripped the tanker in half, with part of it inside the building and part of it outside the building. Some pieces of the tanker were found across the property and on the roof.

The city said personnel were not impacted by the spilled chemical thanks to the Macedonia Safety Forces Drone Team's drone that was used to survey the explosion site.

Freeway Drive, after being shut down for most of the day, was re-opened at 8:23 p.m. Wednesday.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@gannett.com, or on Twitter @athompsonABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Investigators continue to search for cause of Royal Chemical explosion