Some Georgetown residents were advised to shelter-in-place Wednesday night following a hazardous materials incident at the Perdue chicken processing plant in town.
The Delaware Emergency Management Agency sent an Emergency Alert System notification for residents in the area to shelter in place at 6:21 p.m. Wednesday. That message went to the entire state.
DEMA later clarified the shelter-in-place was for 1/2-mile radius around the facility located at 20621 Savannah Road in Georgetown.
A Perdue spokesman told The News Journal/Delaware Online that the incident as involving a chemical supplier accidentally mixing peracetic acid into a caustic chemical tank, creating a smoke plume. The spokesman said the incident occurred around 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The shelter in place alert was lifted shortly before 8:30 pm for all but a few homes near the plant, according to the News Journal. By shortly before 10pm, according to DNREC, the shelter in place order had been completely lifted, and about an hour later, Georgetown Police announced on Facebook that their crews had cleared the scene.
Peracetic acid in vapor form smoke can cause dizziness, eye, nose and throat irritation, or nausea.
