Nitric acid spill forces evacuations in Grafton

Published on April 8, 2011 in The Boston Globe MetroDesk Blog

Cleanup crews are at a chemical transportation company in Grafton today after a nitric acid spill that forced the evacuation of all buildings within a half-mile radius, including North Grafton Elementary School, officials said.

At 11:15 a.m., about five gallons of nitric acid spilled at Dana Transport Inc. and mixed with other chemicals, town officials said in a statement. Vapors began escaping the building, located at 88 Westborough Road, leading officials to call for the evacuations.

Department of Environmental Protection officials and hazardous materials crews were called to the scene, as well as Grafton police and fire.

Though the elementary school is not quite in the half-mile radius, it was evacuated “under an abundance of caution,” the statement said, and students were taken to Grafton Elementary School.

“The kids were very orderly and transitioned into Grafton Elementary School where they were paired with other classes,” said Grafton School Superintendent Joseph Connors. “The day goes on for us and we’ll dismiss at the regular time.”