Traffic diverted during fuel spill in Lehighton
Workers attempt to clean up a fuel spill that occurred along a portion of North First Street near Kovatch in Lehighton on Friday morning. About 15 gallons of fuel spilled during the incident. TERRY AHNER/TIMES NEWS
About 15 gallons of diesel fuel oil spilled from a state Department of Transportation truck in Lehighton Friday morning.
Firefighters from Lehighton Fire Department were able to contain the spill, which occurred around 9:30 a.m. near Kovatch in Lehighton.
Corey Reph, who manages road crews in the area, said a PennDOT truck was traveling south when a storage box that has chains fell off the truck and went underneath the tire, puncturing a fuel cell.
Reph said about a dozen PennDOT workers responded within about four to five minutes of the incident.
He said workers were able to stop the leak before it entered the drain systems, as they quickly put down Speedy Dry absorbent and the crews used environmental socks and absorbent pads to soak up the fuel oil from the roadway.
“No damage to the roadway,” Reph said.
Reph said it took crews about an hour and 45 minutes to clean up the area.
Traffic was diverted while cleanup was taking place.
He said emergency personnel, along with the Lehighton Police Department, Lehighton Fire Department and fire police assisted at the scene.
