Entire highway is coated with red dye for 3 miles

"I thought it was blood at first -- then I almost slid into the big metal canister that was oozing orange stuff," Stirk said. She was driving home to Lowell from Leominster late Tuesday night, when she became stuck in the mess.

A tractor-trailer carrying containers of dye used to color bark mulch lost part of its cargo at about 10:15 p.m. Tuesday after the load shifted. The containers ruptured, creating a traffic nightmare for yesterday's morning commute and leaving motorists wondering whether the red substance was dangerous to themselves or their vehicles.

The crimson-colored liquid initially coated about 1,500 feet of roadway, spreading at least three miles north. Yesterday at noon, the road was still covered in dye, making it difficult to see marked lanes. The dye is typically made from rust (iron oxide), and is considered nontoxic, said Myles Hogan, owner of Community Tree Service in Chelmsford. Full article here.