On Friday, July 2 just before 8:30 a.m. the Seattle Fire Department Hazardous Materials Response Team responded to a report of a spill of approximately 10 gallons of Muriatic Acid in a machine room at the Pacific Science Center. Employees at the Science Center noticed the spill and got out of the room without injury. Muriatic acid is used for cleaning and disinfecting and is corrosive at a high concentration. The muriatic acid is normally pumped out to pools around the Science Center, along with water and a bleach solution, but a pump malfunction caused the acid to spill.

Fire Department crews isolated the area which is not accessible to the public. With the help of specialized Hazmat tools, they worked to neutralize the acid so that it could be safely cleaned up. There were no injuries as a result of this incident.

Firefighters on the Hazardous Materials Response Team decontaminate another Firefighter wearing a Level B Hazmat Suit.