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West Lancaster Creek Investigation
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By CARLA DI FONZO, Staff That's when a manager of the McDonald's restaurant at 1755 Columbia Ave. reported he had smelled something outside that reminded him of paint thinner, according to Rob Muschlitz, West Lancaster's assistant fire chief. Shortly after, hazmat teams, firefighters and ambulance crews assembled along Wellesley Avenue, which separates the McDonald's and Columbia Diner, to investigate the mysterious smell, which was coming from a small stream nearby. A temporary dam was established to control water flow, storm drains were double-checked and various tests were performed on the water to determine whether an oily substance found floating on it was toxic. A ladder was gently lowered down the stream's wooded embankment, causing some baby rabbits to scamper away. By 8:45 p.m., a floodlight was brought out and more hazmat personnel investigated the creek. Shortly after, Muschlitz announced that the substance was not hazardous. "There's no reason to worry," he said. "The litmus tests determined that the substance is not dangerous, and there was nothing suspicious found in the storm drains." Hazmat personnel cleaned the water with "pig mats," letting the material's porous surface absorb the oily substance. "Hazmat will do additional studies to identify the substance," Muschlitz said. "But at this time we do know it's not toxic." The light from the emergency vehicles and the personnel dressed in uniforms and protective jumpsuits attracted some onlookers, but didn't seem to interrupt the flow of customers in and out of the nearby restaurants. "I thought there was a training exercise going on," said Sandra Simpson of Millersville, who decided to catch a late dinner at McDonald's Wednesday night. "I just went inside, ate and came back out and noticed the smell. "It's a good thing I ate first," she said. "Otherwise I would have skipped the Big Mac." |
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