HAZMAT response on Salisbury StreetHere's a video of New Bedford firefighters responding to a probable asbestos/lead response with HAZMAT suits on Salisbury Street this afternoon. It's reported that a young man was power washing a house when asbestos/lead was discovered. The video shows firefighters holding a tarp for privacy as they wash off the naked man and pets. UPDATE: The New Bedford Fire Department report the occupants on 29 Salisbury Street have been removed, the building cordoned off and the EPA is on the scene to clean up. The young man has been decontaminated. Video by Carlos Pimentel Felix.

Posted by New Bedford Guide on Monday, August 31, 2015

 

Over a dozen residents have been displaced after a hazardous materials incident in the South End today.

New Bedford Fire Chief Michael Gomes tells WBSM News two men were powerwashing a building on Salisbury Street Monday morning when they became covered in asbestos that was used in the building's siding. Gomes says the two men were decontaminated on site and released, and on-site contaminants at 29 Salisbury Street have been contained, but the clean-up could take longer. "Unfortunately, due to this pressure washing there's the risk of contamination of a fairly large area over there, and the Department of Environmental Protection has taken over the site," says Chief Gomes.

Gomes says an independent clean-up contractor is on scene, remediating the neighborhood from Ruth Street to Cove Street of any asbestos siding particles that may have spread.

The displaced residents will not be able to return until the DEP has deemed the area safe to enter.

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