MISSION VIEJO : Fuel Spill Gives Motorists Wild Ride

About 50 gallons of diesel fuel leaking from a semitrailer truck created a 250-foot-long oil slick on the streets near Lake Mission Viejo on Friday, causing a few scary moments for motorists, but no accidents.

Several vehicles slid wildly through the intersection of Olympiad and Melinda roads, spinning out of control when they hit the oily patch about 10:30 a.m.

“One car came through the intersection and started spinning in circles,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Jarvis. “Another car tried to go around him, hit the diesel (fuel spill) and spun out in a 360-degree circle. It was amazing that nobody got into an accident.”

Sheriff’s deputies closed off parts of Olympiad Road between Marguerite and Alicia parkways from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. while members of the County Fire Department’s hazardous materials team cleaned up the spill.

The incident was caused by a broken valve line feeding a pair of 50-gallon fuel tanks on a truck owned by Independent Carriers Inc. of Downey, police said.

The driver, Chris Chappell of Westminster, had delivered a load of air conditioners to a construction site in Rancho Santa Margarita. As he left the area, Chappell “ran through a lot of mud,” he said, “and that must have knocked the valve off.”

Driving down Santa Margarita Parkway, a passing motorist flagged down Chappell and pointed out the leak. Chappell drove to a nearby county fire station where he alerted firefighters to the diesel spill.

The fuel flowed quickly down hilly Olympiad Road, but police said it was contained quickly because a relatively small amount escaped from the truck’s fuel tanks.

Fire officials said none of the fuel got into the sewer or Lake Mission Viejo, which sits about 100 yards below the accident site. But the smell lingered for hours, spoiling the walks of several pedestrians strolling near the popular man-made lake.