Hazmat Incident Shuts Down Highway 29 Near St. Helena

ST. HELENA, CA — State Highway 29 reopened Thursday afternoon following an earlier hazardous materials incident near Zinfandel Lane in the St. Helena area.

Five-gallon containers carrying some type of chemical were spilled on the roadway around 9 a.m. Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol. The chemical was "smoldering" and authorities were not immediately able to identify the chemical because there were no labels on the containers, according to CHP reports.

A Sig-alert was issued at 9:36 a.m. for the roadway as emergency personnel including Cal Fire established a perimeter around the hazardous material.

The highway was closed in both directions from Stice Lane to Whitehall Lane, officials with the county of Napa said. There was another closure on northbound Highway 29 to Rutherford Crossing/state Highway 128.

The Napa County Office of Emergency Services issued a Nixle alert about the incident at 9:52 a.m. and advised the public to avoid the area.

According to Cal Fire/Napa County Fire Department, its hazmat team contained four, 5-gallon containers of hydrogen peroxide and peroxyacetic acid. Crew members had to use "Level A" suits per the department's protocol.

"We want to thank our community members for their patience while the road was closed," Cal Fire/Napa County Fire said.

Following clean-up crews clearing the roadway, Highway 29 opened and traffic resumed around 12:45 p.m.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.