Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 12, 1994 TAG: 9409130019
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
Roanoke fire crews responded to the spill about 11:30 a.m. Capt. John Sweeney said the gasoline was quickly contained and apparently did not get into the nearby Roanoke River.
The gasoline flowed into a storm drain that leads directly to the river, but was caught in a holding tank below the level of the drain. Fire crews checked other storm drains in the area to make sure there was no buildup of fumes, which can be highly flammable, Sweeney said.
The streets were temporarily blocked off, and the store was temporarily closed.
A truck driver with Green Motor Lines Inc. of Richmond was filling the underground tanks when the fuel apparently backed up and spilled over the parking lot. The driver refused to comment on the accident.
Mike Thomas, area supervisor for UniMart stores, said the driver estimated only eight gallons spilled. There are two 5,000-gallon tanks underground, and when the driver was switching from one to the other, an air lock apparently caused the gasoline to bubble back up, Thomas said.
Fire crews sopped up the gasoline with absorbent material and dumped it in a special yellow trash bag marked "hazardous waste." Sweeney said the oil company is responsible for properly disposing of the bag.
by CNB