Truck Spills Antifreeze, Closing 118; Moorpark Area Evacuated

A truck loaded with 6,000 gallons of ethylene glycol, an antifreeze, overturned at a curve on California 118 at the eastern edge of Moorpark on Monday afternoon, prompting Ventura County sheriff’s deputies to evacuate neighbors and close a five-mile stretch of the highway.

About 1,500 gallons of antifreeze leaked after the 2:30 p.m. crash. There was one minor injury--the truck driver was cut, authorities said. The driver, Dennis Stinett, 31, of Dana Point was treated and released from Simi Valley Adventist Hospital.

The evacuation was ordered because county health officials said the liquid was hazardous, according to Lt. Hank Carrillo.

About 50 residents were ordered out of their homes and moved “a few hundred feet” from the scene, Carrillo said. They were allowed to return home shortly before 8 p.m., when authorities reopened California 118 from College View Avenue near Moorpark College to High Street.

A hazardous-materials squad of the Ventura County Fire Department washed antifreeze from eight firefighters, a sheriff’s deputy and three residents, a department spokeswoman said.

California 118, or Los Angeles Avenue as it is known within Moorpark, is a winding, two-lane road that forms the western extension of the Simi Valley Freeway. Residents have long complained that the road is crowded with commuter traffic and unsafe.

The spill was cleaned up by a private firm, Carrillo said.

Carrillo said the truck’s load shifted to the outside as it made the turn, causing it to overturn, collide with a brick wall and slide into the backyard of a house.

No other vehicles were involved.