Hazmat crews worked Friday to clean up about 2,200 gallons of gasoline that spilled onto Interstate 15 near Carmel Mountain Ranch and into a nearby storm drain after a fuel tanker overturned and ruptured its tank, authorities said.
The accident forced the closure of northbound Interstate 15 between Mercy Road and Ted Williams Parkway, except for the carpool lanes, for hours. By 8:30 a.m., two northbound lanes were back in use, and the entire stretch was open again by shortly before noon, the CHP reported.
The big rig’s driver apparently lost control in the northbound lanes approaching Carmel Mountain Road at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and the California Highway Patrol.
The truck rolled onto its side, along with one of two fuel tanks it was pulling. Combined, the tanks contained about 8,800 gallons of fuel, CHP officials said.
The driver was not injured and managed to get out of the truck following the crash, authorities said.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Capt. Joseph Amador said around 4:30 a.m. that the spill had been stopped and crews used four yards of sand to dam its flow. Fire department personnel were supervising the offloading off the fuel that remained in the tanks.
— City News Service
