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Dec. 21--Firefighters and police responded Tuesday afternoon to a chemical spill in northeast Minneapolis coming from a soon-to-be-shuttered metal finishing company.
Frozen chromium was found next to the train tracks behind Superior Plating, a 92-year-old company set to close next week after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. The plant is at 315 1st Av. NE., and the spill stretched for about two blocks, Superior Plating President Michael McMonagle said.
The chromium is believed to have come from contaminated soil beneath the building, he said.
As for the cleanup, McMonagle said he wasn't sure how it would be paid for.
"I have no authority to pay for anything right now," he said. "I have no idea. We're in Chapter 11."
Because the chromium was frozen and not moving Tuesday night, it wasn't an immediate hazard, Minneapolis Deputy Fire Chief Harold Breffle said.
"If it gets dry or gets dusty, it's an inhalant," he said. "It's a cancer-causing thing, so that's why we're trying to clean up."
Emergency personnel got a call about the spill around 4 p.m. from a woman who lives near the tracks, Breffle said.
Emergency personnel blocked off a couple streets in the area to vehicle traffic while the substance was still being examined. Train traffic also was halted. The cleanup should begin Wednesday, Breffle said.
NICOLE NORFLEET
