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Breaking News
Overturned Tanker Truck in Chicago Makes Mess of Rush Hour
Aired August 08, 2001 - 09:26 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: We want to bring our viewers up to date now on a situation that is escalating in Chicago. A tanker truck there overturned now is involving evacuations and a mess of rush hour.
Let's bring in Commander Will Knight from the Chicago Fire Department. Good morning.
COMMANDER WILL KNIGHT, CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT: And how are you?
KAGAN: What can you tell us the latest about what's happening there?
KNIGHT: Well, at 7:00 this morning during the heart of rush hour a tanker truck overturned on the expressway carrying a dry chemical that caused airwave -- and it's flammable. But the main cause is your air waves, you just sort of -- we have a twin agent truck on the scene right now which carries water and foam and we also brought in foam trucks from the surrounding area and also over here at the airport.
KAGAN: Do you know what that chemical is?
KNIGHT: That chemical right now we're not identifying it. We're just telling people that it causes airway and breathing problems.
KAGAN: You don't know what it is or you're not saying what it is?
KNIGHT: We don't know what it is right now.
KAGAN: Oh. But it's not a good thing to breathe in, you know that. So not only is rush hour going to be a mess, because the Dan Ryan Expressway is shut down in both directions, but you also now are evacuating office buildings in the area.
KNIGHT: We have evacuated office buildings at 7:00 this morning when the tanker truck overturned. We have blocked off the streets from 35th Street to 51st north and south bound on the Dan Ryan.
KAGAN: Any injuries at this point?
KNIGHT: No injuries right now.
KAGAN: And you don't have anybody -- what about the driver of the truck? KNIGHT: The driver of the truck is talking with the state police and the Illinois Department of Environment.
KAGAN: OK. And nobody that you know that might have been in the surrounding area that might have breathed anything in having any problems yet this morning and just trying to be, take preventive measures, as I understand it?
KNIGHT: That is correct.
KAGAN: All right. We will wish you luck with that, Commander Will Knight from the Chicago Fire Department, once again trying to deal with an overturned tanker truck on the Dan Ryan Expressway in Chicago, causing big problems. That expressway is shut down at the height of rush hour. And also, as you heard the commander talk about, they have evacuated a number of office buildings in that area. Whatever chemical that is that is vaporizing into the air they do not want folks to be breathing that. So far, though, everybody OK.
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