A South Georgia hospital has been evacuated after an early morning chemical spill on Highway 84 in Homerville.
Officials alerted Clinch Memorial Hospital administration of the chemical spill about 5:40 a.m., according to a news release from the hospital. The spill occurred on Highway 84, less than a quarter-mile radius from the hospital’s facility, which serves as a critical care facility for the rural Southeast Georgia community.
Clinch Memorial has evacuated the facility and used the neighboring airfield to evacuate patients. Those patients have been transferred to nearby hospitals, including Miller County Hospital, St. Vincent’s and Memorial Satilla Health. The evacuation will be in place for 24 to 48 hours, according to the hospital news release.
It is unclear how long the chemical spill will take to clean up, but the hospital was informed that substance spilled was hydrochloric acid, which is considered to be toxic.
“CMH administration is encouraging the community to stay away,” Angela Ammons, the hospital’s CEO, said in a statement. “In this situation where there is so much unknown, we must evacuate our patients. Our priority is always the safety of our patients and staff.”
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