Vandals Spill 3,000 Gallons of Crude Oil
About 3,000 gallons of crude oil spilled on the grounds of a remote Santa Clarita oil facility and into a dry creek bed Wednesday night after vandals opened the valves on three storage tanks, authorities said Thursday.
About 500 gallons spilled into the nearby sandy creek bed but no significant damage occurred, said Chris Marlahand, a warden overseeing the cleanup for the state Department of Fish and Game.
Most of the oil flowed into two dirt berm containment areas that were hastily built by Los Angeles County firefighters who responded to the Hillside Oil Partners Inc., located west of Sierra Highway and south of Dockweiler Drive, said Sheriff’s Deputy Roger Hom.
Marlahand said the spill poses little environmental hazard because the creek has been dry for some time and the oil was thick and will be relatively easy to clean.
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