U.S. 84 East between Naylor and Stockton was closed at the Alapaha River following an accident Thursday morning. A commercial truck carrying sodium hydroxide overturned, creating a chemical hazard.

LANIER COUNTY — An early morning wreck that involved a tanker truck left U.S. 84 near the Lanier-Lowndes County line covered in sodium hydroxide most of the day Thursday.

Sodium hydroxide is a noncombustible solid, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. However, when it comes into contact with water, it may generate sufficient heat to ignite combustible materials.

The spill took place just a few hundred feet from the Alapaha River and near pockets of water left over from recent flooding.

The vehicle accident occurred around 4:30 a.m. when the truck driver lost control after spotting some deer in the road, said Lakeland Fire Chief Chuck Jones. The truck fell on to its side and skidded down the road, which caused the side of the truck to rupture and spill sodium hydroxide on the road.

Firefighters from the Lakeland and Stockton fire departments arrived on the scene within minutes, Jones said. Firefighters also requested assistance from the Valdosta Fire Department’s Hazardous Materials Response Team to help get the spill under control.

Jones asserted that the substance never made it off of the road and did not put the environment at risk. The driver was not injured.

“In its original form, sodium hydroxide is not considered hazardous,” Jones said. “However, the substance can be hazardous if mixed with anything else.”

The road remained closed while the trucking company worked to pump out the sodium hydroxide.

Jones recognized the joint efforts of the Lakeland, Stockton and Valdosta firefighters in preventing the spread and contamination of the substance on the road.