Traffic in west Phoenix turned tense Monday evening after a collision between a passenger car and a semi near 67th Avenue and Van Buren Street punctured a 100-gallon fuel tank, city officials said. Several people at the scene suffered minor injuries and one person was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to Phoenix Fire Department crews. Firefighters moved quickly to contain the spill and secure the area while investigators coordinated the cleanup.
Crash and immediate response
As reported by 12News, the collision, involving a car and a semi, happened on May 25 near the 67th Avenue and Van Buren Street intersection and left a fuel tank punctured. Phoenix Fire Department officials told the station the tank held about 100 gallons, so hazmat crews established a perimeter while firefighters drained the tank to prevent more fuel from leaking out. One person was transported to a hospital in stable condition and others at the scene had minor injuries, according to the department’s initial account.
How crews contained the leak
The Phoenix Fire Department sends specially trained hazardous materials crews to incidents like this, using perimeter control, vapor monitoring and containment measures to limit the spread of fuel, according to the City of Phoenix Fire Department. Those standard procedures, from setting up exclusion zones to pumping and draining compromised tanks, helped crews manage the leak while investigators assessed the scene.
Why fuel spills can tie up roads
Large fuel releases can quickly turn into complicated operations that shut down traffic and require specialized equipment, as FOX10 Phoenix reported after crews stopped a multi-thousand-gallon diesel leak at a CEMEX facility. That 2023 response shows why even a puncture involving a 100-gallon tank gets serious treatment from hazmat teams and traffic safety officials…