I-25 Reopened After 36+ Hour Closure Near Loveland After Massive Diesel Fuel Spill
LOVELAND, Colo. (CBS4) - A portion of Interstate 25 near Loveland was reopened in both directions more than 36 hours after a semi-truck crashed and spilled 11,500 gallons of diesel. The Colorado Department of Transportation says southbound lanes reopened shortly before 2 p.m., and northbound lanes reopened at around 3 p.m.
Several agencies responded including Loveland Fire Rescue Authority, Colorado State Patrol and the Environmental Protection Agency.
CSP says crews repaved and restriped both sides of the interstate.
The EPA says the fuel spilled into a drainage ditch and storm drain that lead to the Big Thompson River.
EPA #EmergencyResponse personnel are on-scene for an overturned tanker truck on I-25 (near Mile Marker 225) in Loveland, Larimer County, Colorado with up to 11,500 gallons of diesel fuel spilled into a drainage ditch and storm drain that lead to the Big Thompson River. https://t.co/5w6wU35wKk
— EPARegion8 (@EPARegion8) March 20, 2021
The truck was on fire, but because it was diesel, it wasn't hot enough to explode.
"If it was gasoline it probably would have lit off and we would have had a really big ball of flame," Smith said.
CSP says weight of the trailer is not a factor in the crash, but the driver is being cited for careless driving. They say the driver was inattentive.
The driver, CSP says, suffered serious injuries and was trapped at one point in the cab of the truck.
It's not clear what caused the crash.