Chemical Leak at Asheboro Plant Draws Hazmat Response

ASHEBORO — Emergency crews responded Tuesday afternoon to a chemical spill at a Kayser-Roth facility in Asheboro, after a chemical delivery error led to a potentially hazardous  leak.

The Asheboro Fire and Rescue Department (AFRD) was dispatched at 2:14 p.m. to 515 West Balfour Avenue. Responders arrived within five minutes to find a chemical leak that was smoking. Firefighters evacuated the surrounding area and set up a safety perimeter.

According to Jared Byrd of Randolph County Emergency Services, the incident began when a truck delivering hydrogen peroxide mistakenly offloaded the chemical into the wrong tank — one that had an existing leak. As the peroxide began seeping out into the facility’s containment area, staff called 911.

AFRD units used air monitoring equipment to assess the scene and set up a decontamination area for the North Carolina Hazardous Materials Regional Response Team 5 (RRT-5), based in Greensboro, who responded to the scene.  

The hazmat team determined that the leak had stopped, and a containment dike already in place at the facility helped prevent the chemical from spreading further. No injuries or environmental impacts were reported.