BURLINGTON, N.C. (WGHP) — A truck hauling about 95 gallons of diesel fuel sprang a leak on Interstate 40, leaving a trail of the hazardous material stretching down the interstate, according to the Burlington Fire Department.
At about 8:35 a.m. Tuesday, crews responded to a report of hazardous materials on I-40 west near Alamance Road. When fire crews arrived, they found the truck still actively leaking.
Crews placed barriers around the spilled fuel to avoid a runoff. They were able to stop the leak within five minutes of arrival. The North Carolina Department of Transportation Maintenance Division spread sand over the affected areas.
A truck driver, hauling a diesel fuel saddle tank, told officials that an object from the road hit the tank, causing it to rupture. He noticed the leak about a mile east from where he was able to pull over. The tank had been leaking fuel from Tucker Street west to just past Alamance Road.