Monday, December 15, 2014

ANOTHER TANKER TRUCK CRASH RELEASES 1,200 GALLONS OF FUEL. ALASKA DEC RESPONDS TO FUEL SPILL, FIRE IN DALTON HIGHWAY TANKER CRASH



ANOTHER TANKER TRUCK CRASH RELEASES 1,200 GALLONS OF FUEL.  Alaska DEC responds to fuel spill, fire in Dalton Highway tanker crash




POSTED: 01:34 PM AKST Dec 15, 2014    UPDATED: 01:45 PM AKST Dec 15, 2014 
Courtesy DOTPF
ANCHORAGE -
A semi truck hauling fuel went off the Dalton Highway in a crash that injured its driver Sunday night, with a fire starting at the crash site after fuel was offloaded from the truck.

A Monday statement from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation says the crash took place on the Dalton at about 8:15 p.m. Sunday night, with an estimated 1,200 gallons of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel spilled as a result.

“A Big State tractor-trailer hauling fuel from Fairbanks to the North Slope left the highway at milepost 189 and slid on its side, damaging the truck trailer,” DEC officials wrote. “The driver was treated and released from the Fairbanks Memorial Hospital for injuries sustained in the rollover.”

AST spokeswoman Megan Peters confirmed the fuel spill and DEC response in a Monday email to Channel 2, saying that the wreck involved “only minor injuries.”

“They are having problems removing the vehicle,” Peters wrote.

A Big State Logistics crew responded to the scene half an hour after the crash, recovering about 9,000 gallons of fuel from the tanker truck and using absorbent materials to recover fuel from the ground.

“Some point after the fuel had been recovered, the tractor and then the trailer caught fire,” DEC officials wrote. “A travel advisory has been issued for this area of the Dalton Highway.”

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities said in a Twitter post Monday morning, including a photo of flames from the tanker, that the Dalton’s southbound lane had been blocked by the crash.

Officials are currently investigating the cause of both the initial crash and the fire. DEC reports that wildlife in the area has not been affected by the incident.