Chemical spill closes Strasburg street

A small chemical spill at the Valley Milk Products plant at 412 E. King St. in Strasburg on Monday night closed the street from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m.

Strasburg Fire Chief Jeff Wharton said the spill involved no more than two gallons of sodium hydroxide that overflowed from a five gallon bucket and ran down the street. A contractor cleaned up the spill and Valley Milk was open for business as usual Tuesday, Wharton said.

A National Institutes of Health Web page describes sodium hydroxide as a strong chemical in industrial solvents and cleaners, including flooring stripping products, brick cleaners, cements and others.