Crime & Safety
Fuel Line Rupture Spews More Than 10,000 Gallons of Diesel
Work on a new road near Valley Street and the Seekonk River came to a screeching halt when an excavator struck an underground fuel line.
Between 10,000 and 20,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled from an underground pipe after it was struck by an excavator working in the area of 66 Valley St. The actual incident took place just north of the building, across the street from the .
Everyone in nearby businesses was evacuated while East Providence firefighters, special hazards units, environmental cleanup crews and the U.S. Coast Guard dealt with the situation.
They called National Grid crews that were working elsewhere in the city to respond to the area and shut down power as a safety precaution. Providence and Woonsocket emergency units also responded to the scene. None of the fuel reached the nearby Seekonk River; it was contained to the land.
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East Providence Fire Captain Oscar Elmasian gave a press conference and described the scene behind the yellow tape. He said a nearby building was covered in the fuel, which spewed all over it. The smell of diesel fuel spread across a wide area, even to Interstate 195.
