SAN DIEGO (CNS) - A hazmat team worked Friday to clean up about 2,200 gallons of gasoline that spilled onto Interstate 15 in the Carmel Mountain Ranch area and into a nearby storm drain after a fuel tanker overturned.
The driver of the northbound big rig lost control near Ted Williams Parkway for unknown reasons around 11:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The truck crashed and rolled onto its side, along with one of two fuel tanks it was pulling. The driver was uninjured and was able to get out of the overturned vehicle on his own.
It took emergency crews about five hours to contain the spill using sand to dam the flow, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. The personnel also supervised the offloading off the gasoline that remained in the tanks, SDFRD Capt. Joe Amador said.
The accident forced the closure of northbound Interstate 15 between Mercy Road and Ted Williams Parkway, except for the carpool lanes, for hours. By 8:30 a.m., two northbound lanes were back in use, and the entire stretch was open again by shortly before noon, the CHP reported.