Clean up continues Monday on hazardous spill at Zentis

Marshall County Emergency Management Agency Director Jack Garner updated the public on the hazmat incident that occurred Thursday morning at about 7:45 in the parking lot at Zentis on Oak Drive.

Plymouth Firefighters were dispatched to an injury accident at the Zentis facility involving a chemical spill. South Bend Hazmat responded to assist and spent the entire day working alongside Plymouth Firefighters to mitigate the situation.

One individual was injured in the accident and taken to South Bend Memorial Hospital, where they were reported to be in stable condition on Thursday.

The scene remained active all day on Thursday as South Bend Fire Hazmat, Elkhart Hazmat, and INSERV worked through the night with a hard stop at 11 P.M. to allow crews to rest and regroup. 

Operations resumed on Friday at 9:00 AM, focusing on the safe removal of hazardous materials.  Multiple departments assisted Plymouth Fire, and South Bend Fire Hazmat resumed command due to the specific protective suits required for handling the chemicals. With the temperatures near 90 degrees, personnel had to be rotated out every 20 minutes to prevent heat-related exhaustion.

The second day of operations was successful, but an operational pause was implemented at 4:00 PM due to fatigue and ongoing high temperatures.

The incident has taken longer than initially anticipated due to the volume and nature of the chemicals involved in the semi-truck. Crews will regroup and return on Monday to complete the final phase of the cleanup.