DeKalb County hazmat incident leads to evacuation, detours; described as 'threat to life' issue

Donna Thornton, The Gadsden Times
·1 min read

A tanker truck overturned Thursday at the intersection of Alabama Highways 35 and 75 in Rainsville, resulting in a hazmat spill that the DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency is describing as a "threat to life issue."

At about 3:30 p.m. Thursday DCEMA offered an update, saying the traffic closure in central Rainsville is from Marshall Road to Rainbow Drive on Alabama Highway 35, and from George Wallace Drive to Church Avenue/Marshall Road on Alabama Highway 75, and it was expected to last till late evening.

An 800-foot radius around the intersection was evacuated voluntarily, and hazmat teams were en route from Atlanta and Nashville. Authorities hoped the clean-up would be complete before midnight.

According to City of Rainsville officials, a tanker truck overturned and was leaking an apparently hazardous substance not identified by city or EMA personnel. Efforts were underway to get the area cleaned up.

They recommended the following detours:

• Highway 35 from Fort Payne, detour onto Marshall Road;

• Highway 35 from Powell, detour onto Rainbow Avenue;

• Highway 75 North, detour onto Marshall Road;

• Highway 75 South, detour onto George Wallace.

Plainview School in Rainsville advised parents who live inside a specified boundary to pick up children who ride the bus by 2:15 p.m. if possible. If bus riders were not picked up by 2;15 p.m., they would be transported back to Plainview lunchroom to be picked up through car line procedures, the school posted on its Facebook page, and it cautioned it could be "well after 4 p.m." before children returned.

Contact Gadsden Times reporter Donna Thornton at 256-393-3284 or donna.thornton@gadsdentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Rainsville crash: Truck overturns leading to hazmat spill, detours