A chlorine spill north of Fairfield last week shut down a portion of Texas 75 for nine hours.

The spill occurred Tuesday night about seven and one-half miles north of Fairfield and the City of Streetman water treatment facility.

Freestone county environmental crimes investigator Billy Madding reports that a valve on a tank containing chlorine “popped off,” causing a spill of about 125 gallons.

Shortly after the spill was reported, about 9 p.m., U.S. 75 was closed from FM 833 south to FM 2547 to prevent exposure to chlorine gas, Madding says.

“Most of it dispersed,” the environmental investigator says. “You still have to go through the routine.”

Residents in the area were not evacuated, but were notified to stay inside with doors and windows closed.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality arrived early Wednesday morning to test the area and soil for any remnants of the chemical, and Environmental Protection Agency personnal arrived that afternoon.

Chlorine is commonly used to kill bacteria in drinking water.

Exposure to the chemical irritates breathing passages and eyes, and can be fatal in a large dose.

Responding immediately to the spill were police, sheriff’s deputies, Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and volunteer fire departments.