By Mitchell Banks
A diesel fuel spill Sunday evening on the east side of Seymour complicated travel for motorists and left a mess for Seymour firefighters and others to clear up.
The incident, reported to the Seymour Police Department at 5:05 p.m., initially involved a semitrailer that had caught fire at Tipton Street and Steven’s Way.
Fire Chief Brad Lucas said the spillage came from a fuel tank on a semitractor-trailer being pulled by a tow truck. The fuel tank was ruptured after hitting a construction barrier.
The driver of the tow truck was able to leave the scene uninjured, Lucas said.
While there was a small fire when firefighters arrived at the scene, Lucas said it was extinguished quickly.
Firefighters and other emergency personnel, however, were on the scene for three and a half hours, prompting road closures on Tipton Street and Steven’s Way.
Seymour firefighters and a crew from 31 Wrecker Service in Seymour cleaned the road by sweeping absorbent into the spill.
Approximately 150 to 200 gallons of diesel fuel were spilled onto the road, Lucas said.
Officers with the Seymour Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department also were at the scene to help with the cleanup and traffic control.
Because of construction on U.S. 50 on the east side of Seymour, Lucas said the spill affected both directions of travel across four lanes.
The incident also was reported to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.