Oil tanker rupture spills 6,800 gallons in Compton
Kristopher Hanson
Press Telegram
10/07/2010
COMPTON - A ruptured oil tank spilled nearly 6,800 gallons of heavy-grade diesel early Thursday in an industrial yard on Santa Fe Avenue, though crews were able to recover about 4,800 gallons by nightfall.
The accident occurred after an oil tank being hauled by a big rig apparently came loose, sending the trailer crashing to the pavement and busting a hole in the tank, which was carrying marine diesel oil shortly before 4 a.m.
Marine diesel oil is a less-refined fuel used in furnaces, boilers and freight ships, which use a blend known as bunker fuel.
The spilled liquid quickly gushed onto the grounds of Asbury Environmental Services at 1241 S. Santa Fe Ave., and then into a storm drain and small concrete stream nearby, though crews were able to largely contain the spill by diking the waterways, said a Compton Fire Department dispatcher.
Within a few hours, much of the spill had been removed from the parking lot, but an environmental disaster response contractor was hired to ensure the oil didn't slip into storm drains leading to the harbor a few miles south.
A preliminary report issued by the California Emergency Management Agency indicated the overflow had been ontained by late morning, though crews were stationed downstream to ensure the leak didn't reach the ocean.
Ashbury is one of California's largest transporters of waste oil and hazardous liquid materials, operating a fleet of more than 400 trucks statewide.
