South Milwaukee mercury spill; hazmat crews clean up scene

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wis. – A mercury spill blocked off a South Milwaukee road for hours on Memorial Day.

What we know:

Crews were called to a storage unit facility near 11th and Columbia on Monday, May 26.

The South Milwaukee Fire Department said there was no threat to the public, but the storage facility remains closed after a chemical was found on the lot.

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“There is no longer a life-safety hazard,” Battalion Chief John Frost said. “They are still going to drive by and see buckets and stuff like that. That’s why the facility will be locked down.”

Frost confirmed the substance was found outside a storage unit.

“We initially got a call for some sort of liquid on the ground, that the person thought looked like mercury. We got on scene, confirmed it did look like mercury and called the Milwaukee hazmat,” Frost said. “I don’t know how much, it was quite a bit of droplets on the outside between buildings.”

Frost said he was surprised by the spill.

“I’m not sure what a mercury spill would be doing around here,” Frost said.

Local perspective:

“My sister called me and said all hell was breaking loose out here,” said Thomas Urbaniak, who lives nearby.

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“All of a sudden I seen the men in white, so I figured something chemical, I’m not sure,” said Rudik Nieves, a neighbor.