Over the weekend, a trailer leaked a strange bright red-orange liquid on a stretch of I-71 in Ohio.
According to WKRC Local12, authorities were contacted and the BSTG Fire District responded to the mystery spill. The trail was long enough that emergency crews followed it down the highway, hoping it would eventually lead them to the source. Sure enough, it did.
The trail ended at a Pilot truck stop, where responders discovered a semi truck with a leaking trailer. Inside was nearly 40,000 pounds of cargo—and suddenly the mystery made a whole lot more sense.
As it turns out, the reddish-orange liquid covering the interstate wasn’t hazardous chemicals or engine fluid. It was Frank’s RedHot sauce. The trailer had developed a leak while traveling down the interstate, and the driver reportedly had no idea thousands of pounds of hot sauce were slowly pouring onto the roadway behind him.
Because Frank’s RedHot is acidic, crews couldn’t simply wash it into nearby storm drains. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency was notified, and hazmat crews used containment measures to keep the sauce out of local waterways while cleanup plans were put together.
Officials also warned that the sticky sauce may have damaged vehicles that drove through it. Fire officials said it’s difficult to remove, and some drivers reported multiple trips through the car wash without much luck. Authorities said affected motorists may be able to seek compensation through their insurance, while the trucking company could potentially face citations related to the spill.
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