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Ocean Blue Environmental Services Inc. continues oil spill clean up
Crews with Ocean Blue Environmental Services Inc. continued to clean up an asphalt oil spill Wednesday that has contaminated desert lands. There have been no reports of injuries resulting from the spill.
The location of the spill, California State Route 78 just east of Ogilby Road, will be reduced to one lane of traffic between the hours of 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. during upcoming days until the site is cleaned-up.
The spill began at about 7 a.m. Saturday morning when the driver of a 2005 Peterbuilt semi-truck that was hauling a tanker filled with asphalt oil noticed smoke in his side view mirror.
The driver pulled off to the side of the road and discovered one of his tires “was on fire,” said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Hector Meza.
“Then the tanker trailer caught on fire. I think he tried to put it out, but there was really nothing he could do about it.”
The fire compromised the integrity of the tank, causing a breach that allowed 6,000 gallons of asphalt oil to spill out onto the roadway and into the surrounding desert area, Meza said, creating a biohazard situation.
Units with the Winterhaven Fire Department and CHP responded, and officials with Imperial County and the Bureau of Land Management were notified.
Chris McDaniel can be reached at cmcdaniel@yumasun.com or 539-6849.
