Overturned gasoline tanker on Highway 24 and Highway 67
WOODLAND PARK, Colo. (KRDO) – Officers and fire crews in Woodland Park are on the scene of a traffic crash involving an overturned gasoline tanker.
The crash occurred near Highway 24 and Highway 67 and according to the Woodland Park Police Chief, the driver of the vehicle misjudged a turn and rolled the truck.
No one was injured as a result of the incident, however, Woodland Park officials say 2,100 gallons of gas leaked from the tanker.
Update: Around 6 a.m. the Woodland Park Police Department responded to a diesel tanker overturning near the intersection of Highway 24 and 67 in Woodland Park in the parking lot between Loaf and Jug and Community Partnerships.
El Paso County haz-mat crews responded to dam and divert the fuel that got into the stormwater system. They created a primary and secondary dam to capture all the spilled fuel.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment as well as the Environmental Protection Agency were notified of the incident since they will do the laundering. But Teller County Fire Officials say there is not a threat to public health.
"We have notified Colorado Springs Utilities, Fountain, and Manitou Utilities as this is downstream part of their water supply and told them we have everything contained at this time," Northeast Teller Fire Protection Deputy Chief Dean O'Nale said. "But just to give them a heads up incase they want to look at shutting their intakes down."
Environmental clean up crews arrived on scene at 10:30 a.m. to offload the tanker. According to procedure, the 5,000 gallons of fuel remaining in the tanker must be removed before they can pull the tanker from the parking lot.
During the offload, U.S. Highway 24 is shut down in both directions for 2 blocks to minimize hazards to crew members and nearby businesses. The closures are on Hwy. 24 from N. Park St. to SH-67. All the businesses within the area of the City Market Plaza will be closed and instructed to shelter in place while the offloading takes place. They expect this to last 2 hours. All back roads will remain open for detouring.
"With a haz-mat incident we take our time and go slow," O'Nale said. "Before they right that vehicle, they'll unload all the product off of it."
The Woodland Park Police Department is urging drivers to plan their commutes accordingly.
The FAA has issued a temporary flight restriction of a 0.5 mile radius and 1,500' through 6 p.m. The agency is also restricting drone operation in this area.
Northeast Teller Fire, Colorado Springs Fire, Woodland Park Police, the El Paso County haz-mat team, the Office of Emergency Management, and Public Works are all responding agencies in this incident.
