Multiple local fire departments and the Marlboro police and highway departments responded to an accident yesterday involving an overturned oil truck that was leaking home heating fuel.
The accident happened just before noon. For reasons police still are not sure about, a fuel truck carrying 2,400 gallons of home heating oil overturned in the area of 1650, Rt. 9W in Milton. Upon arrival the Marlboro Police Department, along with the highway department, worked to extricate the driver of the vehicle. The driver had minor injuries as a result of the crash and was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Next, responders turned to containing the spill. The highway department scrambled its loader to position sand piles to contain the overflow. According to town police, their quick action resulted in the fuel being contained in a small portion of the roadway, preventing contamination of a nearby stream leading to the Hudson.
The first firefighters who arrived at the scene worked to secure the dome lid hatches to curtail the flow of petroleum. Multiple mutual aid departments were dispatched to provide manpower for the hours-long pump off of the fuel. Firefighters in full PPE (personal protective equipment) manned hoselines in the high heat while crews worked to offload the fuel to a waiting tanker. Two firefighters were transported to the hospital for heat-related injuries. 9W was closed for six hours.
The cause of the accident is still under investigation.
Responding agencies (in no particular order) included: The New York State Police, Ulster County Sheriff, Ulster County Department of Emergency Services, Orange County Department of Emergency Services, Milton Fire Department, Marlboro Fire Department, Middlehope Fire Department, Highland Fire Department, New Paltz Fire Department, Esopus Fire Department, Modena Fire Department, Cronomer Valley Fire Department, NY Air National Guard (Stewart Airport) Fire Department, City of Newburgh Fire Department, Ulster Hose Fire Department, Roosevelt Fire Department, New Hamburg Fire Department, Mobile Life Support Services, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and Central Hudson.
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