Chemical Spill Prompts Shelter-In-Place Order In Rohnert Park

ROHNERT PARK, CA — UPDATED: A shelter-in-place order for businesses near Martin Avenue in Rohnert Park was lifted Friday morning after crews remedied a chemical spill at Straus Family Creamery, the Rohnert Park Department of Public Safety said.

Some 250 gallons of a mixture of nitric acid and phosphoric acid spilled onto the parking lot of the business at 655 Park Court at 8:50 a.m. Friday, Rohnert Park DPS Lt. Kelly Koffler said.

A container of the mixture used to clean and sanitize holding tanks and transfer pipes for dairy products was being delivered to the business but was punctured by a forklift while being offloaded from a semi-truck, Koffler said.

Crews with Rohnert Park DPS responded within 3 minutes and as a precaution told nearby businesses to shelter in place. A Nixle alert was sent at 9:20 a.m. advising those in the neighborhood to also shelter in place.

Everyone else was told to avoid the area.

Hazardous materials specialists with the county of Sonoma were requested and helped mitigate the spill. The specialists determined it was safe to dilute the chemical mixture and wash it away with fire hoses. The mixture was rinsed into a filtered cistern system the business has in the parking lot to keep hazardous materials from entering local storm drains and waterways.

The shelter-in-place order was lifted at 10:22 a.m.

"No one was injured during this incident and no chemicals entered the storm drain or local waterways," Koffler said. "The Department of Public Safety would like to thank the Sonoma County Hazardous Materials team for their assistance during this incident."