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Truck carrying 'hazardous materials' overturns on Georgia highway

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. — Authorities in Georgia have blocked a busy highway Tuesday morning after a multi-vehicle crash involving a truck carrying  hazardous materials.

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The Dawson County sheriff said that a truck carrying 6,000 pounds of explosive components used to make dynamite overturned on Highway 53 east between Dawson Forest Road East and War Hill Park Road in Dawsonville, Georgia. Three other vehicles were involved in the crash around 5:30 a.m.

The Sheriff's office initially said the truck was carrying 10,000 pounds of dynamite, but later clarified to say it was a smaller amount of explosive materials. The Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services said the materials were ammonium nitrate/fuel oil emulsion.

Dawson County Fire said the road will be closed for several hours. There are minor injuries in the crash.

Fire officials said the vehicle carrying the hazardous material "overturned and leaked just a small amount of product."

"A haz-mat clean up contractor is on scene and will be handling the mitigation of the incident," the department said in a Facebook update around 8 a.m. Tuesday. "There are no homes that are in the immediate evacuation area."

An update on the incident on Highway 53 East. The roadway will be closed for several hours. Four vehicles were involved...

Posted by Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services on Tuesday, September 10, 2019

By noon, fire officials said the truck had been turned upright and the spilled products were being cleaned. The road reopened an hour later.

The incident on Hwy 53 East is now clear and the roadway is open. We would like to thank our local, state and private partners that helped with the quick, and most importantly, safe mitigation of this incident.

Posted by Dawson County Fire and Emergency Services on Tuesday, September 10, 2019

The Dawson County Sheriff's Office, Dawson County Fire Department, Georgia Department of Transportation and Georgia State Patrol were at the scene.