GOLDSBORO, N.C. — The Goldsboro Fire Department responded to a hazardous materials incident Monday afternoon involving a tractor-trailer carrying aluminum phosphide at a warehouse on South U.S. 117.
According to officials, firefighters were dispatched at 3:17 p.m. on March 9 to 106 S. U.S. 117. Four apparatus and 11 personnel responded and arrived on scene at 3:21 p.m., where they found a tractor-trailer with several damaged containers being received by the American Warehouse System facility.
Warehouse personnel took precautionary measures before emergency crews arrived, placing the material back into the truck, closing the trailer doors, and moving the vehicle away from the building.
The product was identified as aluminum phosphide, a chemical commonly used as a fumigant and transported in small pellet-form containers. Although there was no leak or spill, the damaged packaging prompted crews to treat the situation as a hazardous materials incident.
Fire officials notified Wayne County Emergency Management and North Carolina Regional Response Team 1, based in Williamston, for specialized assistance.
Members of the regional response team evaluated the shipment and repackaged the damaged containers into environmentally safe sealed barrels. With help from warehouse staff and firefighters, responders then unloaded the remaining undamaged materials from the truck.
During the process, responders discovered a small amount of white powder. Testing conducted by the response team determined the substance was sucrose, or sugar, and not hazardous.
Additional agencies assisting with the response included the Goldsboro Police Department, Wayne County EMS, North Carolina Emergency Management, and the North Carolina State Highway Patrol Motor Carrier Division. Officials said staff at UNC Health Wayne were also in contact and prepared to receive patients if necessary.
The truck driver was evaluated at the scene by EMS but declined treatment. No civilians or emergency responders were injured.
Emergency crews remained on scene for several hours to safely secure the shipment and cleared the incident at 10:20 p.m.
