A truck carrying 40,000 pounds of Frank's RedHot sauce left a trail of leaking hot sauce across an Ohio highway, triggering an unusual response from local fire crews.
The Berkshire, Sunbury, Trenton & Galena Fire District was called after reports of a semi-truck leaking an unknown substance along Interstate 71. Crews followed the sticky trail to a truck stop, where they discovered the source was a trailer loaded with Frank's RedHot sauce.
Cleaning up the spill proved more complicated than expected. Officials avoided washing the sauce off the roadway because its acidity could have contaminated nearby waterways.
Instead, responders worked with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to deploy hazardous materials equipment and containment pools to keep the sauce out of storm drains.
Fire Chief Chris Kovach said the trucking company would be responsible for arranging the cleanup. He also noted that while many people found the incident amusing, several vehicles may have been damaged because the sticky sauce was difficult to remove.
One local resident later claimed she spent $30 on car washes but still couldn't completely remove the red sauce from her vehicle.