Residents clean up after fertilizer accidentally released into the air covers cars in a Jacksonville neighborhood

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Residents of a north Jacksonville neighborhood cleaned their cars Saturday after they were covered in topsoil powder from a nearby fertilizer company.

RELATED: Fertilizer accidentally released into the air by a company covers cars and causes a stir in a Jacksonville neighborhood

According to JFRD, the dust that covered several blocks of the San Mateo neighborhood Friday night was actually humus powder from a nearby company, Humic Growth Solutions.

Chris Hilling was on his way home from work when he saw police blocking the streets in his neighborhood.

“At first I just asked, 'Hey, what's going on? Should I turn back?' They said, 'Yeah, unfortunately.' So I asked, 'So what's going on?' They said, 'We don't know. We can't say for sure right now and we're not sure when we'll be able to let you back in,'” Hilling said.

He said he then called his wife to find out what was going on.

“She calls me back and says, 'You're not going to believe this. Someone said a plane dropped its waste tank and everyone was covered in the product.' Look, I've had some crappy days in my life, but I never want to take that literally,” Hilling said.

He said some of the residue was on his car.

“I had this weird brown stuff right above the door handle on my car and I didn't think anything of it at first, but then when it didn't come off during my work day, I thought, that's a little weird,” Hilling said.

JFRD said there was a malfunction at the plant and the fertilizer it normally contains was accidentally released.

The situation continues to worry Hilling.

“How can this even happen? How can you just release chemicals like this in a neighborhood? And I hope all the elderly people in my neighborhood are safe and haven't inhaled too much of it,” Hilling said.

JFRD said its hazardous materials team tested the substance and a spokesperson said there was no cause for concern.

However, JFRD said that it should not be consumed.