If there was one song to describe the scene on Interstate 680 on Friday, it was definitely “Ice Ice Baby.”  More than 27,000 pounds of dry ice spilled in Benicia.

A truck was traveling on 680 when an accident occurred causing the vehicle to lose its cargo of dry ice. Benicia Firefighters were dispatched for a hazardous material call. The Fire Department sent one unit to the scene, confirming the initial reports of the dry ice spillage.

Firefighters arrived at the spillage and asserted the truck had lost most of its dry ice. California Highway Patrol and Caltrans were at the scene before the Fire Department arrived.

Benicia firefighters closed the northbound I-680 off-ramps at Lake Herman Road and parts of Goodyear Road to clean up the ice. Benicia Public Works was called in to assist the Fire Department with the cleanup. The truck’s parent company would finish cleaning up the spillage. Benicia Police was responsible for making sure the company cleaned up the ice appropriately, Fire department Division Chief Jed Matcham said.

“As far as hazards, dry ice does not have a big hazard to it,” Matcham said. “There was really no threat to the environment or environmental health. It was more a hazard in the roadway than a true hazardous material.”

Nobody was injured in the accident. It was the first time Matcham responded to call involving dry ice.

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