An Oshkosh chemical spill at Hydrite Chemical led to massive evacuations after a storage tank cracked and 60,000 to 70,000 pounds of muriatic acid spilled, leaving a giant caustic cloud to float over the city, Inquisitr reported Friday.

Reports said that the Oshkosh Fire Department crews worked with the company to contain the 60,000 to 70,000 pounds of muriatic acid spill, and although the spill has been cleaned up by 4 p.m., officials ordered for an evacuation of the Oshkosh Corp. manufacturing plant as well as its company headquarters. The company, which was formerly called Oshkosh Truck, is famous for being the leading manufacturer of specialty vehicles.

Oshkosh Corp. Spokesman John Daggett said the company had canceled its second shift Friday as a precaution to the Oshkosh chemical spill.

"The main threat would be inhalation issues," Oshkosh Fire Department Spokesman John Holland said. "The good news is you have to be very close to it have any issues."

Meanwhile, several residents were alarmed after noticing that the Oshkosh chemical spill left a caustic cloud floating over the south side of the city in Wisconsin.

Postcrescent reported that muriatic acid is a highly corrosive chemical to proteins such that it can damage respiratory organs, eyes, skin, and the intestines. The chemical is commonly referred to as hydrochloric acid and in extreme cases it can lead to blindness or death when a certain amount has been inhaled or ingested.

According to authorities, after police discovered the source of the Oshkosh chemical spill, they had ordered for an evacuation in the area that stretched from West Waukau to Perimeter Road to West 28th Street, where Hydrite Chemical Company is located.

Residents nearby were asked to stay inside their homes and keep their windows and doors closed.

However, the evacuation order was lifted by the Oshkosh Fire Department almost three hours after the spill was discovered.

An Oshkosh police officer reportedly arrived at 3:15 p.m. to inform the evacuees that they could return to their homes within the hour.

No reports mentioned the exact number of evacuees or if there were any injured people due to the spill, but there are approximately 160,000 people in the Oshkosh metro area.

A year ago, 4,700 gallons of muriatic acid spilled in a northeastern Pennsylvania creek, leading to the death of several fishes. Fortunately, officials were able to build a dam to keep the acid from flowing into a larger creek.