ALTON - The fast reaction of Alton Fire Department members prevented a battery spill of sulfuric acid going into nearby drains on Wednesday morning at Argosy Casino.
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Alton Deputy Fire Chief Matt Fischer said there was a portable jack in place to unload semis and something happened causing a large battery to fall to the ground spilling sulfuric acid.
“Our firefighters arrived on the scene quickly and were able to stop it before it went into any drains,” he said. “They did an excellent job of stopping it from the drains.”
Fischer said an area HAZMAT team brought a neutralizing agent to also stop the spill.
“We are in a holding pattern until a mitigation team hired by Argosy gets to the scene, Fisher said around 10 a.m. Wednesday. “The battery was oversized and it runs the portable jack. We checked the drains and they are dry. The spill occurred not at the entrance for employees but the one right in the middle.”
Fischer was not certain when the mitigation team would arrive at the scene to complete the cleanup. He said the Broadway entrance to Argosy is closed until the mitigation company completes its work, but the Henry Street parking lot entrance remains open.
