2,000 Gallons of Gas Spill in Carson After Accident

Two thousand gallons of gasoline spilled from an Arco tanker truck involved in a collision Wednesday in Carson near two refineries.

The accident on Sepulveda Boulevard snarled traffic, but did not result in a fire.

Larry Olson, Carson public safety director, said the tanker driver suffered minor injuries after being thrown through the vehicle’s windshield. The driver, whose name was not released, landed in the gutter, where gasoline was flowing.

“He was almost totally immersed,” Olson said, “Shell refinery people drug him out of there.”

Olson also said one firefighter who was helping clean up the spill was overcome by heat.

About 50 firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, as well as fire brigades from the nearby Shell and Arco refineries, spread foam on the spill and dammed it to limit potentially explosive leakage into storm drains. Later, the tanker truck, which had tipped over, was drained of about 3,000 gallons of unspilled gasoline.

The accident, which occurred at 10:19 a.m., blocked traffic on one of the city’s main thoroughfares for about two hours. “It jammed traffic up pretty good for a while, particularly at Wilmington and Sepulveda,” Olson said.

The collision occurred when a truck cab skidded for an unknown reason into the path of the tanker truck, Olson said. The name of the uninjured truck cab driver was not released.

Olson said no motor vehicle charges have been filed against either driver.