AYER HITAM: A lorry carrying three barrels of chemicals lost control while manoeuvring the corner exiting at the Ayer Hitam toll plaza of the North-South Expressway (NSE).
The Johor Fire and Rescue Department Operation Centre received the call regarding the incident on Wednesday (June 25) at 4.48pm.
Ayer Hitam Fire and Rescue station chief Mohamed Shamin Mohamed Salikin reported that 13 firemen, a fire rapid tender (FRT) vehicle, and a Hazardous Materials Unit (Hazmat) were deployed to the scene.
"One of the three barrels, each with a 1,000-litre capacity containing urea-formaldehyde (UF), fell onto the road, broke, and spilled the chemical," he said in a statement.
UF is widely used in various applications, including wood-based composite panels, adhesives, moulded objects, and even as a controlled-release nitrogen fertiliser in agriculture.
The operation team took early steps to control the chemical from spreading by covering the spills with soil from the site.
Mohamed Shamin stated that the Hazmat Unit, reporting at 7.50pm, conducted detection activities to monitor the presence of the chemical odour in the surrounding areas.
"The company came at midnight to transport the other two barrels and the Hazmat Unit handed over their duty to the Kluang Department of Environment for further action," he added.
The operation, co-led by senior officer II Muhammad Nur Zufayri Mohd Azha, senior officer Muhammad Syakir Jamal, and the Hazmat Unit from the Larkin Fire and Rescue station, ended at 2.40am.
