8/20/12 - Mason Haz Mat incident, US-127 north of Barnes Rd

Shortly before 5 AM on Monday, August 20, 2012, the Mason Fire Department and Lansing-Mason Ambulance Service were dispatched for a tanker rolled onto it's side "leaking some type of fluid" with the driver still inside on southbound US-127 north of Barnes Rd. In foggy conditions, firefighters arrived to find the driver self extricating and were able to quickly determine that the spilled material was asphalt sealant. Mutual aid was requested from the Leslie Fire Department to assist with closing down the highway and Service Rd, which runs parrallel along the west side of the highway. The Ingham County Haz Mat Team was activated to respond to help contain the spilled contents from the 8500 gallons the truck was hauling. Shroyers Towing was requested to assist with the material management and vehicle removal. The trucking company responded with another tanker truck to off load the material that remained in the rolled over trailer. A private firm was called in to complete the clean up of the material spilled into the median and along side the southbound lanes of the highway. The northbound lanes of US-127 were closed for over 12 hours, and the southbound lanes for over 24 hours while these clean up operations took place.