HOLIDAY, Fla. — Pasco County Fire Rescue says the scene in 4000 block of Louis Ave in Holiday is clear after firefighters responded Thursday night to a hazmat situation.
After hours spent at the scene, dispatch tells 10 Tampa Bay firefighters cleared out around 2:30 a.m. Friday and people have been allowed back in their homes.
The department says the incident was caused by a 55-gallon barrel of sodium hydrosulfite that was "causing a toxic cloud of smoke to blow across the street."
According to fire rescue, sodium hydrosulfite is a hazardous material to handle in its powder form and becoming "very volatile when mixed with water."
Firefighters used a drone to check on the barrel's temperature. They say, at the time of response, the barrel was stable but holding a high heat.
An environmental company was called in and removed a drum of hazardous materials.
"The barrel appears harmless in the visual image, but under the thermal image, the chemical reaction of the Sodium Hydrosulfite is clearly visible. Hazmat crews took great care to keep the chemical stable until cleanup crews could arrive," Pasco Fire Rescue wrote.
During the hazmat situation, two people were evacuated along with several nearby businesses. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident.