This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A chemical leak at Utah's Hogle Zoo closed a small part of the facility temporarily Sunday morning, but no injuries to animals or humans were reported.
A Salt Lake City Fire Department news release says a zoo employee noticed what he estimated to be a two- to three-gallon leak of hydrochloric acid in the basement of the building that houses the indoor enclosure for the lion exhibit.
Salt Lake City crews, assisted by the West Valley City Fire Department, responded shortly before 11 a.m. to the zoo, at 2600 E. Sunnyside Ave., according to the news release. The big cats were kept in the outside portion of their enclosure while the firefighters were cleaning up the spill.
Brad Parkin, Hogle's director of marketing, said the hydrochloric acid is used to treat ponds and pools at the zoo. A couple of pathways were closed for a few hours as a precautionary measure, he said.
Some of the product was washed down into a drain and hazardous materials crews neutralized a large puddle that was about one-quarter inch to one-half inch deep by using soda ash, the news release says.
After that, a small vapor cloud in the room disseminated, the release says, adding the air level inside was not dangerous, so crews used electric fans to vent the air outside. The employee who reported the leak was evaluated at the zoo as a precaution and was released without being taken to a hospital.
Crews are working with a Salt Lake Valley Health Department representative to determine the best way to dispose of the neutralized product.
Twitter: @PamelaMansonSLC