Chemical spill closes Highway 23 in Thousand Oaks; all lanes now reopened

All lanes of Highway 23 in Thousand Oaks were reopened by 10:10 a.m. Tuesday after pool-cleaning acid spilled from a truck, creating a chemical cloud that stopped traffic in both directions, authorities said.

A one-gallon container of muriatic acid fell out of a southbound truck just before 7 a.m. on the southbound lanes between Janss Road and Hillcrest Avenue, authorities said.

The northbound lanes were reopened shortly after 8 a.m., said Miguel Duarte, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol in Moorpark.

Two southbound lanes were opened around 9:30 a.m. but two others remained closed until 10:10 a.m. as Caltrans finished the cleanup, officials said.

The Ventura County Fire Department and the CHP responded just after 7 a.m. and at one point, connectors to Highway 23 and the 101 Freeway were closed while authorities investigated the accident.

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-- Nate Jackson