Firefighters Help Contain Diesel Spill On Near East Side | News

Madison firefighters worked with personnel from the city’s Engineering Division and Streets Division to prevent a diesel fuel spill from spreading into the storm sewer system on Wednesday morning.

The spill occurred at the intersection of Helena Street and Russell Street at 8:42 a.m., fire officials said.

A rock punctured the fuel tank of a semi-tractor trailer and about 150 gallons of diesel fuel leaked out, fire officials said.

Most of the fuel ran into a nearby storm sewer drain and collected in a catch basin across the street, but firefighters said they were able to use absorbent material to catch the fuel that leaked onto the street and stop additional fuel from entering the storm drain.

Vacuum trucks from the Engineering Division were used to soak up the fuel out of the catch basin and sewer pipes attached to it. This prevented the fuel from traveling through the storm sewers and into the waterways, officials said.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources was notified of the spill and responded to the scene.

The trucking company is responsible for cleanup costs, fire officials said.