Crash site stable after truck hauling hydrogen peroxide rolls over near Parksville, B.C.
First responders set up a detour on Highway 19A near Parksville, B.C. on Thursday afternoon after a trailer truck transporting a load of hydrogen peroxide rolled over onto its side.
Parksville Fire Chief Marc Norris says firefighters were called to the crash near the intersection of Highway 19A and Franklin's Gull Road just after 4 p.m.
"When we arrived on scene, we found a tractor unit carrying 70 per cent hydrogen peroxide on its side with a small ground fire around it, and with some product seemingly leaking from the vehicle," he said Friday.
"What we had was a small fire from the peroxide hitting the ground and a reaction," said Norris.
The truck is pictured on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (CTV News)
Firefighters quickly shut down the highway in both directions as they doused the flames.
A detour around the highway was still in effect as of Friday.
"At this point, we're just monitoring the situation as the hazmat technicians prepare to offload the truck," said Norris.
There were no injuries in the crash, firefighters say, and the driver of the truck was able to exit the vehicle on his own.
Hydrogen peroxide is an oxidizer that's used for a variety of purposes, including bleaching and disinfecting items.
This load was bound for an island pulp mill, according to Norris.
"In Parksville we had, for many years, a trans-loading facility where we loaded hydrogen peroxide," said the fire chief.
"It was offloaded from railcars onto trucks [going to places] like pulp mills," he said.
"During that time, we had a lot of training, but we had zero incidents. This is the first incident that I've attended involving this kind of hydrogen peroxide," said Norris.
The truck is pictured on Friday, Nov. 25, 2022. (CTV News)
The fire chief says he's unsure how long the detour will be in effect. Crews were at the scene Friday afternoon waiting for a new trailer to arrive to load the product and ship it to its intended destination.
Once all of the chemical has been loaded and delivered, the overturned vehicle will be removed from the site. Then, an environmental assessment will take place "to make sure there's no permanent damage to the environment."
If there is, remediation will be needed.
Norris says that while some hydrogen peroxide leaked from the truck, much of it was contained in auxiliary piping, which did not break.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Would you pay $300 a year for quick access to a nurse? Dealing with demand, Ontario doctors get creative
Paid subscriptions to on-demand care are among the many strategies primary health-care providers in Ontario are adopting in order to meet increased demand for access to doctors in the past year, while also managing staffing shortages.

Justice minister says he'll 'look at' federal policy restricting gay men from donating sperm
Justice Minister David Lametti says he will "look at" a federal policy that restricts gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, after CTV News exclusively reported on Wednesday that a gay man is taking the federal government to court over it.
Liberals table bill delaying assisted dying expansion to March 2024
The federal government is seeking to delay the extension of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2024. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill seeking the extension in the House of Commons on Thursday.
Why Delissio pizzas and other Nestle products will disappear from Canadian stores
Nestle Canada says it is winding down its frozen meals and pizza business in Canada over the next six months. The four brands that will no longer be sold in the freezer aisle at Canadian grocery stores are Delissio, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine and Life Cuisine.
Six more weeks of winter? Here are the predictions of groundhogs across North America
Will we see six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast-to-coast.
'Dances With Wolves' actor appears in court in abuse probe
A former 'Dances With Wolves' actor accused of sexually abusing Indigenous girls and leading a cult must remain held without bail until his next court hearing, a judge ordered Thursday morning.
Ukraine's new weapon will force a Russian shift
The United States has answered President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.
Former Wagner commander says he is sorry for fighting in Ukraine
A former commander of Russia's Wagner mercenary group who fled to Norway told Reuters he wanted to apologize for fighting in Ukraine and was speaking out to bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice.
As sexual assault rates rise, provinces face shortages of specially trained nurses
As rates of sexual assault climb across Canada, nursing experts say there is a shortage of specially trained forensic nurses to properly care for victims.