UPDATE ! Fire Crews Called To Chemical Spill At Cameron Park

 BY IAN CROUCH

Workers at a Cameron Park freight depot and a neighbouring Australian Post Mail Centre have been given the all-clear to return to work following a chemical spill early Friday morning.

Fire crews were called to the Border Express depot on Stenhouse Drive at 3.45am after a forklift unloading a pallet of 30 drums of hydrochloric acid pierced two 15 litre drums.

Up to 20 people at the depot and the mail centre evacuated while Hazmat crews used water and soda ash to dilute the acid and make the area safe.

They wrapped up the operation just after 6.30am.

EARLIER
 

More than a dozen people have been evacuated following a chemical spill at Cameron Park early Friday morning.

Firefighters were called to the Border Express freight depot on Stenhouse Drive at 3.45am after staff noticed one of several 20 litre drums on a pallet had ruptured.

Newcastle Fire Command says five people at the depot and 10 others working at the neighbouring Australia Post mail centre evacuated as a precaution.

Newcastle Fire Command says a Hazmat crew has identified the chemical as being hydrochloric acid.

They've used water to dilute the acid and no-one's been injured.

Chemical Exposure Incident at Mayfield West

BY MADELAINE MCNEILL

Thirteen people have been transported to hospital following a chemical release at Mayfield West this morning.

Just before 8am, NSW Ambulance and Fire and Rescue crews were called to the Modulate Containers site on Woodstock Street to reports of workers being exposed to a chemical believed to be Napthalene.

Fire crews have not confirmed the chemical and are listing it as an unknown chemical gas or fume.

The source of the release is yet to be identified but it's not believed to have originated on the Modulate Containers site.

Paramedics say a man in his 50s was taken to the Mater Hospital suffering nausea and a burning sensation in his throat, 12 other patients have since been taken to the Mater and John Hunter Hospitals suffering various levels of nausea and headaches.

All patients are in a stable condition.

A Fire and Rescue HAZMAT team was called to the scene from the Central Coast and crews remain on site to monitor the chemical's spread.

Truck Crash Blocks Northbound Lanes Of New England Highway at Murrurundi

BY IAN CROUCH

Emergency services are at the scene of a truck crash on the New England Highway just north of Murrurundi.

A truck ran into the back of another about 1 kilometre north of the town just before 4 o'clock, trapping one of the drivers in the cabin.

He's been freed and taken to hospital with minor injuries.

One of the trucks was carrying paint, with around 80 litres spilt on the road along with about 250 litres of oil and diesel.

A Hazmat unit from Tamworth has been called in to assist with the clean up.

Both northbound lanes of the highway are blocked with police conducting a contra flow past the scene.

UPDATE: The driver of the rear semi-trailer will be charged with offences relating to fatigue breeches.

Police have revealed the man was driving with a suspended licence and his work diary logged a number of critical fatigue breeches which can negatively affect a person's ability to drive.

The man's work diary has been confiscated and he will be charged at a later date.

Truck Crash Closes M1 Pacific Motorway at Mandalong

BY IAN CROUCH

Traffic is back to normal after a bad crash on the M1 at Mandalong overnight.

A southbound semi-trailer loaded with steel slammed into a slow-moving line marking truck at about 11 o'clock last night.

The two drivers escaped injury, however the motorway was closed for 4 hours while the crash scene was cleared.

Fire crews from Morisset and a Hazmat unit from Berkeley Vale cleaned up 400 of litres of diesel and 100 litres of hydraulic fluid from a 300 metre stretch of the motorway.

Police say the drivers returned negative roadside breath tests.

Investigations are continuing.