Acid Spill Jams Bay Area Traffic

Thousands of gallons of hydrochloric acid solution leaked from a tanker truck on Interstate 680 near Pleasanton in Northern California this morning, forming a caustic cloud that forced the evacuation of more than a dozen nearby homes and jammed up traffic for miles in both directions.

The California Highway Patrol described the spill as one of the worst in the Bay Area in recent years. No injuries were reported. But, authorities said, hundreds of commuters drove past the gaseous solution before the area could be sealed off after 8 a.m. The solution, which is often used in swimming pools, causes temporary skin and eye irritation. Cause of the leak was not known.