Gasoline Spill Closes Downtown Simi Valley Street

A main street in downtown Simi Valley was closed for two hours Monday while firefighters cleaned up an estimated 400 to 700 gallons of gasoline that spilled from a tanker truck, the Ventura County Fire Department reported.

The spill occurred about 2 p.m. at a Mobil station at First Street and Los Angeles Avenue. Los Angeles Avenue subsequently was closed from the station to Sinaloa Road, said Sam Meier, a fire spokeswoman.

The tanker truck had been filling an underground gas tank at the station when a car pulling out of the station struck the truck’s hose, which ruptured, Meier said.

It took about 45 seconds to shut off the fuel, which flowed west from the gas station along Los Angeles Avenue and into a flood-control channel, she said.

Firefighters dammed the channel in two spots to prevent the fuel from entering local ground water, she said. The Ventura County Environmental Health Department will oversee a cleanup of the channel, officials said.

Los Angeles Avenue was cleaned by a truck equipped with a vacuum device, Meier said. There were no injuries or evacuations, she said.