Two barrels of an unidentified pink substance abandoned on a Burnaby street sparked a hazmat response from the fire department Wednesday night.
Firefighters were called to the 3700 block of Henning Drive at about 8:30 p.m. for reports of a container that had been abandoned on the road, according to acting assistant fire Chief Dave Younger.
Upon arrival, crews found a 50 gallon barrel out of which a small quantity of an unidentified pink powder had spilled.
“They felt it was something that had fallen off a truck,” Younger said.
A second barrel was located nearby. The street was cordoned off and the hazmat team called in.
“Our truck wouldn’t gamble,” Younger said. “They realize it’s something on the road and they’re not going to touch it.”
The substance was identified as sodium hydroxide, also called caustic soda, a highly corrosive material that can cause severe chemical burns.
It is sometimes used as a cleaner.
Younger said a clean-up company was called in to clear the barrels and the small spill.
The fire department left the scene at about 1:20 a.m.
