Nitric acid spill forces Santa Rosa business evacuation, injures one

A nitric acid spill Wednesday at a business in southwest Santa Rosa required the evacuation of up to 25 employees and left one man injured, according to Assistant Fire Marshall Paul Lowenthal of the Santa Rosa Fire Department.

The spill occurred shortly after noon at a business at 1201 Corporate Center Parkway, Lowenthal said. He said an employee of the business was injured, but did not have details on the severity of the injury.

Santa Rosa Fire Department responded with about 20 firefighters, hazardous-response team members and investigators, Lowenthal said. Traffic was not affected, because the spill occurred in a back parking lot. The unidentified business where the spill occurred and a neighboring business were evacuated, he said. The fire department was able to contain the spill and turned the scene over to contractors to finish the cleanup.

Lowenthal said nitric acid can react with other substances in the area and create toxic fumes that are hazardous to breathe, and it's also a corrosive material.

You can reach Staff Writer Andrew Beale at 707-521-5205 or at andrew.beale@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @iambeale.