(The following report appeared at InsideBayArea.com on April 25.)
RICHMOND, Calif. — Contra Costa County and city of Richmond hazardous materials experts are in the process of pumping between 4,000 and 5,000 gallons of gasoline out of an overturned big-rig tanker that was struck by a train in Richmond this morning, county Hazardous Materials Specialist Adam Springer said.
The crash was first reported at about 7:15 in the 1300 block of Canal Boulevard, according to Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan.
Only a small amount of fuel, about 20 gallons, leaked out of the damaged tanker, the county’s hazardous materials department reported. “Fortunately for us, the train wasn’t moving that fast,” Richmond Fire Chief Michael Banks said.
The train, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe engine, also hit the truck’s tank high enough up that it mostly struck air space, which was also lucky, Springer said.
The big-rig was carrying two tanks of unleaded gasoline, but only the rear one overturned, officials reported.
The Port of Richmond was briefly closed and businesses in the in the 1400 block of Canal Boulevard were evacuated immediately following the incident, Gagan said.
The port has since been reopened and businesses were running as usual, Springer said. The only business still affected by the incident is a ConocoPhillips loading rack that sits about 200 feet from the overturned tanker.
Banks said that first responders put foam blankets down over the leaked gas to suppress fumes.
Hazardous materials crews then disconnected the power from the tanker and grounded it to make sure no sparks would ignite the gasoline inside.
They then drilled a hole in the top of the tanker and pumped the fuel out into a new container truck, Banks said.
Authorities don’t know what caused the train to hit the truck and the incident remains under investigation, Banks said.