Woods Cross businesses evacuated after argon gas leak

Woods Cross police evacuated several local businesses near I-15 and 500 South Saturday after an unknown quantity of argon gas leaked from the tank of a rolled tractor-trailer.

Woods Cross officer Jim Linton said police responded to a call around 2 p.m. of a rollover just off the I-15 northbound exit ramp at 500 South. Linton said the first officers on the scene immediately called for a HazMat team when they noticed gas leaking from one of the two tank-trailers on the truck. Police also evacuated area businesses as a precautionary measure.

Linton said a Utah Highway Patrol investigator at the scene determined that the brakes on the rear trailer of the rig were faulty and a citation was issued to the driver for the problem.

Representatives of the company transporting the gas were called to the scene and aided in repairing the leaky tank. Linton said the amount of argon, a non-flammable gas, that escaped was not determined, but no gas-related injuries or damages occured.

The accident created traffic snarls on I-15, highway 89 and 500 South for hours as emergency crews dealt with the incident. Linton said businesses were allowed to re-open around 5:30 p.m.

The driver of the truck and a passenger were transported to Lakeview Hospital with minor injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the accident.