Nearly 8,200 gallons
of gasoline spilled out of capsized tanker in Belton, SC
BELTON — Some 8,200 gallons of fuel spilled out of a capsized
tanker Sunday in an incident that evacuated homes and shut down swaths of the
city for more than 12 hours, authorities said.
Belton Police Chief Tommy Clamp said the semitruck was heading
into Belton at 8:45 a.m. when it overturned at the intersection of Thompson and
North Main streets near the town square.
The impact ripped a hole in the tanker, causing fuel to spew
out onto the roadway, Clamp said.
He said approximately 80 people from multiple EMS, police and
fire departments responded, including crews from Williamston, Cheddar, Honea
Path, Friendship and Anderson County Emergency Management.
A hazardous materials team and the state Department of Health
and Environmental Control were also on the scene. The American Red Cross
brought lunch.
Several nearby residences and an assisted living facility were
evacuated while five city blocks from Smythe to River streets were shut down
for most of the day.
Authorities said there was no immediate threat to the public.
By late afternoon, the spill, which Clamp said contained a
combination of gasoline and diesel fuel, had been contained to a hole dug in
the ground. A second tanker and pump was used to empty the the overturned truck
before it was towed from the roadway.
Authorities said the process would take at least 12 hours.
"That's just one of those things that takes a lot of time
to do it correctly and safely," Clamp said.
Besides the truck driver, no other injuries were reported.
The driver was "walking and talking" when he was
treated by EMS at the scene, according to Clamp. He said investigators are
working to determine how the accident happened after the driver reportedly lost
control of the vehicle that then struck an embankment, causing it to flip over.
The accident was still under investigation Sunday night. No
charges had been filed.
