Streets remain closed as crews continue to clean fuel spill in Burbank

Street closures in Burbank that were prompted by a diesel spill this morning will likely remain in place for most of the day after officials discovered that fuel had entered the storm drain.

Burbank police closed streets around Alameda at Buena Vista Street just before 8 a.m. to clean up the 150-gallon spill, but Los Angeles County HazMat crews have since been called in to assist after it breached the county storm drain system.

[Updated 12:35 p.m.: At about 6:45 a.m., a truck was delivering fuel to a Los Angeles fire station when its “mechanical drive shaft broke, causing damage to the off load pipe that unloads fuel from the truck,” Burbank Police Sgt. Darin Ryburn said.

The damage was between the tank and shut off valve and the driver was unable to control the fuel that began to leak out, Ryburn said.

The driver pulled over and called police when he realized there was a problem, Ryburn said.

About 150 gallons of fuel was lost, with another 3,500 gallons transferred to another truck, Ryburn said.

Los Angeles County fire’s HazMat crew determined about 36 gallons of unaccounted for fuel had gone into the storm drains, Ryburn said.

It’s important to recover the fuel to prevent any explosions or fires, authorities say.]

The streets closures include: the westbound Alameda at Buena Vista and southbound Frederic to Alameda, according to police.

Authorities suggest drivers use Olive Avenue to the north or Riverside Drive to the south of Alameda. For northbound traffic, Burbank police suggest using Hollywood Way or Victory Boulevard.

The street closures could last until 5 p.m. or later, according to police.

-- Jason Wells and Maria Hsin, Times Community News

Twitter: @mariahsin