Fuel Tanker Struck Utility Pole, Leaked Gas Down Stamford Street: FD

STAMFORD, CT — A fuel tanker carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline struck a utility pole in Stamford on Tuesday night, which closed an intersection for several hours and caused gasoline to flow down West Main Street, according to the Stamford Fire Department. No injuries were reported.

At approximately 9:21 p.m. Tuesday, Stamford's combined dispatch center began to receive reports of a tanker truck that hit a utility pole at the intersection of West Main Street and West Avenue, and that the truck was leaking gasoline, the SFD said in a news release.

The truck was on its way to deliver gasoline to a local gas station.

The tanker truck hit the utility pole just ahead of the rear wheels on the passenger side, the SFD said. The driver was uninjured and remained on the scene.

"The driver reported that the capacity of the tanker was approximately 8,800 gallons. Fortunately these transport tankers are also divided into three to four sections and the damaged section on this particular tanker only contained approximately 2,800 gallons," the SFD said. "Gasoline was observed flowing from the underside of the tanker from a ruptured fitting and was flowing down West Main Street."

Fire crews from the West Side and South End fire stations immediately began operations to contain the runoff and control the leak by building "dams and dykes" with absorbents, while others hammered wooden wedges into the area of the leak, which slowed but didn't stop the rate of the leak, the SFD said.

Collection pools were placed underneath the leaking section of the tanker to contain it and prevent it from running off into the roadway and ultimately down storm drains. The closest downhill storm drain was packed with absorbent pads and covered with plastic to prevent contamination, the SFD noted.

Representatives from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT-DEEP) arrived with a hazardous materials cleanup company.

The cleanup company used a specially designed vacuum truck to drain the remaining gas from the damaged section of the tanker, and cleaned up the absorbents in the street.

The truck was then allowed to back-off of the utility pole, and was driven approximately a quarter of a mile to its original destination under police escort, the SFD said.

The gas in the remaining sections of the tanker was delivered to the gas station with the help of the SFD's mechanical division.

The incident prompted a response of 36 firefighters and officers. The Stamford Police Department also responded and helped with blocking off the area.

The intersection was completely closed for approximately four hours, the SFD said.