DUSON — A chemical leak at a Duson facility sent 10 people to the hospital Tuesday morning after a valve malfunction released hazardous materials near Lexington Drive.
State police said in a statement the initial investigation revealed a valve malfunction involving boron trifluoride that resulted in a chemical leak at the facility. The leak occurred at FIBA Technologies, and those working nearby were evacuated.
Ten people were taken to the hospital, including six employees of FIBA Technologies, three first responders, and one employee of a nearby business. The injuries are believed to be non-life threatening, according to state police.
White clouds were seen billowing in the area around 7 a.m. Julian Darby, a nearby resident, witnessed the smoke while picking up breakfast near the scene.
"I was coming through to pick up some breakfast for me and my kids on the way to school, and first we heard all the sirens, and I was trying to figure out where they were all going, where they were headed to," Darby said.
"That's when I noticed that everything behind Love's was completely whited out and I assumed there was some kind of fire or something going on," he said.
Darby watched as first responders from multiple surrounding areas arrived at the scene.
"There were fire trucks from, I mean, all the, that way towards Lafayette. There were fire trucks all the way from Scott coming out, so they, they called in the whole cavalry," he said.
The leak was contained nearly an hour after the hazardous materials were released.
State police said the investigation is ongoing.
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