SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. — A large gas spill shut down an intersection in Spokane Valley during the Thursday morning commute.
The spill happened near the North Sullivan Rd. and East Indiana Avenue intersection at about 7 a.m. The roadway was completely reopened by 4 p.m.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office reported that one truck was unable to stop and rear-ended the a tanker truck, which had stopped for traffic. The collision caused one of the tanker truck’s trailers to leak premium unleaded fuel on the road. Officials said no one was hurt.
Spokane Valley firefighters determined there was about 700 to 800 gallons of unleaded fuel on the ground. Original reports said between 800-1,500 gallons were spilled.
Fire crews said because fo the hazards with this type of fuel, the roadway was shut down.
Officials said a plan was developed to offload the remaining 2,500 gallons of fuel on the tanker truck, so another tanker was brought to the area to offload the fuel from the damaged tanker truck onto another truck.
The Department of Ecology, City of Spokane Valley Public Works and the National Response Corp. were also notified for cleanup of the fuel on the ground and in the storm drains, officials said.
After police conducted a crash investigation, the city and National Response Corp. began clean-up and a tow company was brought into remove one of the trucks involved in the crash.Once the crash was cleared, the scene stayed closed for the clean-up for two more hours.
Fire officials spread Floor-Dry on the pavement, which is a powder that absorbs the gas.
