Residents of the Cheat Lake area near Morgantown found out about a chemical spill on Interstate 68 by means other than an emergency siren.

The area's emergency siren malfunctioned when officials tried to
set it off after the fatal accident was reported around 4:20 a.m.
Friday.

Mike Wolfe is the public information officer for the Monongalia
County Office of Emergency Management. He says Cheat Lake residents were informed about the accident through the radio and TV alert system.

Some residents say they learned about the accident from friends
and neighbors and were disappointed that the siren failed.

Wolfe says it was the first time officials had tried to turn on the siren since it was installed about five years ago. Engineers
later tested the siren and it was working properly.

The tractor-trailer spilled toluene and forced the interstate to
be shutdown for much of the day. The truck's driver was killed. The hazardous chemical is used to make paints, paint thinners,
fingernail polish and other similar products.