APRIL 21, 2015
ANCHORAGE, ALASKA (AP)
One lane of the Parks Highway is closed at milepost 271,
between the Interior communities of Healy and Nenana, due to a crash involving
a tractor-trailer hauling fuel.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation was
notified of a crash involving a fuel tanker at 2:30
a.m. Tuesday, said Patricia Bower, program coordinator for the
department's Division of Spill Prevention and Response.
An estimated 2,000 gallons of No. 1 diesel fuel was spilled
in the crash, according to Bower.
The spill occurred on state-owned land in a
state Department of Transportation right-of-way, DEC reported in a
press release.
The driver, identified as 31-year-old Robert Myers
Jr. of Fairbanks, was unharmed in the accident, Alaska State Troopers
spokesperson Megan Peters said. He was issued a citation for negligent
driving.
The tractor-trailer “left the road and rolled over, damaging
the front tanker,” DEC reported. The cause of the accident is under
investigation.
The truck belongs to Big State Logistics, DEC spokesperson
Ashley Adamczak said. The company was leading the cleanup efforts, with both
DEC and DOT assisting.
Crews have pumped around 250 gallons of fuel from the ditch
next to the accident site, according to DEC. The fuel continues to
leak from the truck. A second tanker truck is at the site to pump out
remaining fuel once it becomes accessible.
Around 1,800 gallons of fuel remains in the damaged tanker
compartment, and 5,800 gallons are in the middle and rear fuel compartments,
DEC said.
The fuel appears to be contained in the ditch, although the
images above show that the spilled fuel went into a storm drain. Fuel-saturated
soil will be removed and hauled from the ditch by Big State Logistics. The
company has also brought in an environmental consultant to assist with cleanup.
“Sorbent material has been laid down on the roadway to
collect spilled fuel and prevent further spread of diesel,” DEC reported.