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A bottle containing corrosive hydrochloric acid leaked inside a FedEx van and caused a hazmat incident on the outside of approximately 595 Beacon St. Tuesday afternoon. The Boston Fire Department responded to the van’s driver’s 911 emergency phone call and was on site at approximately 4:45 pm, BFD Deputy Chief Michael Ruggere said.
Ruggere explained that the incident posed no direct danger to the public or the driver of the van. BFD received a call for “a possible release of a chemical substance” and confirmed its acidity on site using a pH paper.
“The box [containing the bottle] had been breached and a container was leaking some fluid,” Ruggere said in a statement to the press. “We immediately contacted the police [and they] were here with us at the time to shut the street off and keep anyone from driving or walking down the street either way, so we have the area pretty well isolated.”
Lucas Ferreira, the driver of the FedEx van, said he was on his way to deliver the package to 712 Beacon St. when he realized the box was breached and decided to pull over on Beacon Street.
“I see [hydrochloric acid] on the floor first and I still drive for about 20 minutes and it smelled strong … and I stopped the truck right here [by 610 Beacon St.] and I called 911 and these [policemen] were coming, closing down the street,” Ferreira said.
Ruggere added that it is legal for shipping companies to deliver smaller quantities of what “[the BFD] consider hazardous material.” A licensed hazmat cleaning company came on site and removed the package.
“Our members neutralized the acid so [the cleaning company] will come, and they will take that product and they will evaluate the truck to see if it needs any further cleaning,” he said.
Multiple emergency vehicles including BFD’s Hazardous Materials Response Unit, the Boston Police Department and the Boston University Police Department safeguarded the surrounding area, and BFD declared the area under “gridlock.”
Around 6 p.m., BPD started to reopen the closed-off streets following BFD’s declaring the site was clear of hazmat.
The BU Emergency Alert System alerted the BU community of the incident at approximately 4:55 p.m. The alert initially stated that BFD was investigating a hazmat incident on Beacon Street near Massachusetts Avenue, though the system later clarified that the incident was not in that area.
BU spokesperson Colin Riley said notifying students of the situation was crucial, as the emergency’s location was in the vicinity of the Myles Standish Hall and Myles Annex.
“[Emergency responders] wanted us to know it was prudent to communicate with students in the area, because so many live in the area, that this was an emergency situation,” Riley said. “We try our best to get good info out quickly, but sometimes when you’re quick, there’s an error.”
FedEx spokesperson Steve Barber said the company was “aware of the situation in Boston and [was] cooperating fully with investigating authorities.”
Several BU students said they were surprised by the alert, though it notified them to be cautious of the emergency’s surrounding area.
Qiyuan Fu, a junior in the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, said she was eating at Noodle Street when she received the alert and thought that it was not a serious matter.
“Now thinking about it again, it’s scary because Myles is not that far from where I was,” she said.
Isabella Ranft, a freshman in the College of General Studies and a Myles resident, said the text messages and phone calls from BU Alert shocked her.
“[My roommate and I] looked out of the window and saw police cars,” she said. “Our other roommate said she came into the building and there [was] caution tape outside. She was told everyone is supposed to stay inside.”
Jessica Lee, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences and an employee at Amsterdam Falafelshop at Kenmore Square, said campus life in the middle of a metropolitan city forces her to accept that a lot of different things happen near campus.
“I was at work when it happened [and] it was weird to be so close to the action,” she said. “I went to check it out — probably shouldn’t have. It’s just another day, another BU Alert.”
Alex Li contributed to the reporting of this article.
