The QEW has been mostly re-opened where a transport truck hauling a toxic chemical crashed in St. Catharines Tuesday.
The truck carrying phosphine, a flammable and toxic gas was Fort Erie bound when it hit the concrete median at about 3:20 pm leaving truck's cab resting on top. Phosphine, OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said, is an inhalation hazard, and extremely flammable.
Residents within a 2 km radius were told to stay inside with their windows closed, to turn off their air conditioners and seal their chimneys.
The shelter in place order was lifted a little before 1 a.m.
Just before 3 a.m. most lanes of the QEW were re-opened near Martindale Rd. The left-most lane lane on the Fort Erie-bound QEW remains closed between Ontario St and Hwy 406.
Schmidt said the cause of the crash appears to be a mechanical issue.
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