Sibley, Iowa — A crash near Sibley on Tuesday, May 15th caused a diesel fuel leak from a semi-tractor, to which the Sibley Fire Department was called to help with containment and clean up.
According to Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls, the fire department was called out about 11:25 a.m. to Highway 60 southbound a little north of the exit 51 offramp. That’s the exit for A22, near Jackrabbit Junction.
Huls says that the semi received significant damage to the right side on both the tractor and trailer. He says the fuel leak happened when the steps on the tractor gouged into the fuel tank. He says the tank contained about 175 gallons of diesel at the time of the crash, and between 50 and 75 gallons were spilled.
He says the fire department made a dam to retain the fuel and pumped it into a truck provided by Cooperative Energy Company. He says they used absorbent clay to absorb the spill. Huls tells us that they closed one lane of Highway 60 southbound to clean up after the crash.
Huls mentioned that the Iowa Department of Transportation will probably need to collect some of the contaminated soil at the site of the leak. He says the firefighters were able to contain the fuel to a 10-foot by 3-foot area and prevented it from leaking into the ditch and risking it getting into water.
Huls says personnel from the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, Sibley Fire Department, DOT Maintenance, DOT Enforcement and Cooperative Energy Company helped with the response to the accident.
