LINCOLN COUNTY, Mo. – A roadside fire in Lincoln County Wednesday leaves a landowner next door worried about what’s next.
He said there was a delay in cleaning up chemical runoff, causing concerns about water contamination.
It was a dramatic fire scene early Wednesday morning, with a hazardous materials trailer fire on Highway 61 north of Troy.
“We were sleeping, and I heard a big boom,” Roy Stowers said.
The incident occurred close to Stowers’ front yard.
“There were pesticides and insecticides inside,” he added.
The fire department confirmed those contents, which is why excavators are now digging up the dirt where it escaped. The cleanup crew was hired by the trucking company as required by Missouri’s Department of Natural Resources.
Stowers said that DNR wanted a cleanup to start sooner.
“They wanted to close one lane, and they were denied by the state troopers,” Stowers added.
DNR confirmed to FOX 2 in a statement surrounding the incident.
“The remediation contractor was turned away by the Highway Patrol. We responded to assess the situation to find that the site was not under control and that runoff water had breached the earthen berm and was traveling towards a nearby creek,” DNR wrote.
Stowers said his well water was also at risk; however, the Lincoln County Fire Protection District stepped in.
“We were able to stop some of the product,” Chief Michael Marlo said.
Although firefighters worked with their limited containment supplies, they also called MoDOT, which assisted with more materials to stop the hazmat flow.
“Sand and dirt,” Marlo said, “…And then, they came out and we dammed up two ends of the the culvert, so we stopped it totally at that point.”
Highway Patrol said its working on a response for FOX 2, but DNR added that it suspected the snow Wednesday contributed to Highway Patrol’s decision to keep the highway open.
Although the fire department did not make that call, Marlo said there are safety repercussions from a road shutdown.
Stowers is comforted by the fact DNR has reported the water samples have not been impacted and that regulators will return to check the water.
DNR added that it’s working on a better solution the next time this happens.
“We also share a similar mission: to protect human health and the environment,” Environmental Emergency Response Section Chief Sean Counihan said. “Had we known that the Highway Patrol had called the contractor and told them to turn around and that they would not be allowed to work along the side of the road, we would have worked with them to come to some kind of arrangement that we could all work with. We are currently in communication with Troop C regarding this situation so we can find a solution that will benefit both agencies and work towards our collective missions.”