FEBRUARY 24, 2015
BATTLE CREEK, MICHIGAN. (WOOD)
Authorities say that a gasoline spill initially thought to
have involved between 2,700 and 4,700 gallons is now believed to have involved
only between 100 and 300 gallons.
The fuel spill happened around 2 p.m. at the Marathon
C-Store gas station and convenience store at 321. E. Emmett St.
A line on a tanker truck broke and fuel started spilling
out, the Battle Creek fire chief told 24 Hour News 8. The tanker truck is owned
by H.R.J., Inc. out of Kalamazoo. The leak was sealed off before emergency
crews arrived on the scene.
A hazmat team was called to the scene and the situation was
soon under control. No one was hurt.
Crews on the scene initially said some 2,700 to 4,700
gallons of gasoline spilled. Later, a fire official said that after looking in
the taker, only 100 to 300 gallons was believed to have spilled.
East Emmett Street was shut down from North Union Street to
North Wabash Avenue and North McKinley Avenue was shut down from Sherman Avenue
to Merwood Drive, according to a release from the City of Battle Creek.
Streets were expected to remain shut down for several hours.
The fire chief said he thought crews will remain on the scene for some time
because they had to offload the tanker and clean up the mess.
Crews monitored waterways and sewers, and checked storm
drains to see how far the spill may have spread.
The freezing cold temperatures, which often cause trouble
for emergency crews when they’re putting out a fire, were actually a boon in
this case because the chances of a spontaneous combustion situation were lower.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality has been
notified of the spill.
An initial release from the City of Battle Creek said the
fuel spilled was diesel. That information was corrected in a later press
release to say that the fuel spilled was gasoline.