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THIS STORY HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FROM THE CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL.
CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Several local and state agencies were called to the scene of an early morning truck crash Monday, where quick action was needed to prevent spilled fuel from going into the nearby watershed.
A Tony's Fine Foods semi truck traveling through the S-curves on Highway 20 one mile east of Highway 53 overturned and blocked both lanes of traffic shortly after 6:30 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol and Northshore Fire Protection District Deputy Chief Pat Brown.
A Monday afternoon report from CHP Officer Kory Reynolds identified the semi driver as 42-year-old John Harris of Elk Grove.
Reynolds said Harris was driving a 1996 Utility truck towing a 30-foot trailer westbound on Highway 20 at approximately 50 miles per hour while attempting to negotiate a right curve, Reynolds said.
Due to the speed of the vehicle Harris was unable to negotiate the curve, which caused the truck and trailer to roll onto its left side, blocking both lanes of traffic, Reynolds said. Harris was able to get out of the truck on his own.
The semi initially was reported to be on fire, but Brown said it turned out that the freon from the truck's refrigeration unit was venting.
Brown said a Cal Fire engine happened to come upon the scene and reported the crash.
Northshore Fire, CHP and Cal Fire set up a unified command to deal with the crash, Brown said.
The truck had fueled up in Sacramento and is believed to have had about 80 gallons of diesel in its tanks when the crash occurred, according to Brown.
“It was a few minutes of pretty intense flying around, trying to get the fuel to stop,” Brown said.
Brown estimated that about 30 gallons of fuel was spilled, but that firefighters contained it before it got into the storm drains and into the Cache Creek watershed.
Reynolds said Highway 20 was closed for more than an hour and one-way traffic control was in effect for several hours.
Caltrans sent a supervisor and a hazmat team, Brown said, and handled traffic control at the scene. The agency also put up alerts on nearby signs warning of the crash.
Brown said Caltrans was able to route traffic around the crash by using a turnout but only after the diesel was contained, due to concerns that vehicles might go through it and track it into the dirt on the roadside.
Lake County Environmental Health and the California Department of Fish and Game were on scene to observe because of the fuel spill, said Brown.
Other resources sent to the scene included two Cal Fire engines and a battalion chief, a water tender that Lake County Fire Protection District sent under mutual aid, and a Northshore Fire engine, a rescue and a medic unit, Brown said.
The CHP said two wreckers were called to respond to the scene, and arrangements were made to bring out containers to offload the remaining diesel.
Brown said a Northshore Fire ambulance transported Harris to St. Helena Hospital Clearlake, where he was treated for minor injuries.
The collision is under investigation by CHP Officer Brian Engle, Reynolds said.
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