Traffic flow on the west end of Philomath saw major disruptions Tuesday when a semi-truck’s fuel tank became partially dislodged and dragged on Highway 20, leaking significant amounts of diesel fuel in an area between the “Y” and the railroad tracks.
“It was made out of aluminum — so it was kind of like a cheese grater on the roadway,” Philomath Chief of Police Dave Gurski said while describing damage to the tank. “It ended up making a crack in that and then it got turned into a bigger crack and started really dumping it.”
Philomath Fire and Rescue responded to the incident at about 11:45 a.m. and remained at the scene for close to three hours to help clean up the mess. Fire Chief Chancy Ferguson said he estimated the fuel spill in his incident report at 100 to 120 gallons.
Gurski said the eastbound semi’s tank started leaking fuel on Highway 20 in the vicinity of Mustang Lane, which is roughly eight-tenths of a mile west of where the truck stopped.
“He actually came over into the other lane and that’s where he stopped because the tank was dragging so badly and it was leaking so much fuel,” Gurski said, adding that the truck ended up pulling into B&G Logging’s yard.
Located near the scene of the incident is the firewood lot operated by the Philomath Youth Activities Club. The organization’s director, Eddie Van Vlack, said sawdust from firewood that had been processed was used as one of the materials to absorb the fuel. PYAC volunteer Denny Bennett jumped on a tractor to help move the sawdust.
The fire department also put down absorbent that it brings to such incidents.
Another key part of the operation involved D5 Field Repair, a Philomath-based mobile mechanic business owned by Cade Demers.
“He immediately just sprung into action and was able to dislodge the tank and was able to right it so it wasn’t leaking anymore,” Gurski said. “He had a little mobile crane, picked it up and put it in the back of his rig and got it off the highway. So, he really helped us out.”
Philomath Police ended up involved with traffic control for an estimated three hours. The Oregon Department of Transportation would typically step in to help but Gurski said those staffers were in the middle of a training event more than an hour away in Sweet Home.
