Truck Crash Spills 4,000 Gallons of Jet Fuel

A tanker truck carrying aviation fuel to John Wayne Airport spilled 4,000 gallons of the fuel in Costa Mesa early Friday after being broadsided by a sport utility vehicle, police reported.

No serious injuries were reported and the spilled fuel was contained in a concrete gutter running parallel to the Costa Mesa Freeway, officials said.

According to police, Rolando Aguilar, 27, of Orange exited the northbound 55 Freeway at Baker Street in a Chevy Tahoe. He ran a red light and collided with the tanker, which was eastbound on Paularino Avenue at 2:02 a.m., police said. The tanker driver’s name was not released.

The collision forced the tanker onto its side and one of its two containers ruptured. The aviation fuel spilled onto the street and headed for what appeared to be a storm drain leading to the ocean. Fortunately, according to Costa Mesa Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Gregg Steward, the drain instead diverted the fuel to a wide gutter filled with dirt and debris, which soaked up a large amount of the fuel.

Both drivers were taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian in Newport Beach, where they were treated for minor injuries. Aguilar was detained on suspicion of driving under the influence, police said.

The offramp and surrounding streets remained closed until about noon.

Hazardous materials units from the Huntington Beach and Santa Ana fire departments responded to the incident as a precaution, as did an Orange County Fire Authority crew with fire retardant foam.

A private firm cleaned the streets and removed the fuel-soaked debris from the gutter, Steward said.