Baxter FD Helps Mitigate Major Fuel Spill On Fast Lane

An estimated 40 to 50 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled from a semi-truck’s punctured fuel tank in Baxter Sunday morning.

Baxter Fire Chief Matthew White said that a driver went to the Love’s on Fast Lane to refuel and discovered the issue. White said that his team was called in and was able to do a temporary patch until the driver could find a more permanent solution.

White said that when a fuel leak like this occurs, there are two main concerns: flammability and environmental impact. He said that luckily, diesel fuel has lower flammability than gasoline. With lower temperatures last night and this morning, White said that also helped them to mitigate the issue.

White said that with a spill this large, they will typically have to call in an environmental company to assist in clean up. He said that his team was able to contain the issue until the environmental representative arrived.

White said he does not know how the fuel tank puncture occurred.