Evacuation order lifted, Mackay reopened after Dartmouth chemical issue

An evacuation order has been lifted and the Mackay Bridge has reopened after crews responded to a chemical spill in Dartmouth on Wednesday afternoon.

An emergency alert was issued around 4:20 p.m., asking people to avoid the area of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography for the time being.

The alert says a 250 metre evacuation has been put in place around the institute.

HRM put out an update shortly before 6 p.m., saying crews received a call from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography about a chemical spill in the BOI building that involved formaldehyde.

“Members of Halifax Regional Fire & Emergency initially responded to secure the scene and determined that a chemical spill had not occurred, ” the statement said. “Instead, firefighters found a 250 ml container of picric acid that was dry. In a dry state, this chemical is highly explosive.”

The municipality said given the quantity and state of the chemical, the area was evacuated, including a portion of the MacKay Bridge.

Meantime, Halifax Harbour Bridges said the Mackay Bridge was reopened at 6 p.m.

Nova Scotia Power also cut power to the area, calling it an “emergency outage for public safety.”

Just before 6:30 p.m., the municipality said the situation had been safely resolved.