A tanker truck carrying 8,400 gallons of gasoline rolled over on an Interstate 91 off-ramp in Enfield, forcing evacuations of at least five nearby homes and closing the ramp through the day and possibly longer.
State police said it happened near the southbound exit 49 on and off ramps. A 32-year-old West Springfield man was driving the truck, which flipped over on a curve just after 1 p.m. Monday.
At least five homes on Kalish Avenue were evacuated over concerns the spilled gasoline could catch fire or explode.
"I see the gas tank coming slowly and then all of a sudden it flips in the air twice, once on the ground, and then hits the light post," Jessenia Garcia, who lives nearby and saw the crash, said.
Garcia said she and her family ran to the tanker and helped the driver get to safety. The driver was taken to the hospital for evaluation and is expected to be OK.
Officials estimate approximately 2,600 gallons of gasoline spilled out of the tank.
"We thought it was really going to explode. That's why we rushed to get him away from the tanker because we didn't know what was going to happen. We didn't know what to expect," Garcia said.
Crews from the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state Department of Transportation, as well as firefighters, responded.
DEEP capped the leak and siphoned the remaining gas from the tanker into a new truck. The truck was towed away and DEEP will have to determine the extent of the contamination, remove the contaminated soil and assess the risk to the groundwater.
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"We are in a watershed area and there are private wells in the immediate area," explained Jeff Chandler of the DEEP Emergency Response Unit. "The Connecticut DEEP will be working with the Connecticut American Water Company as well as the private homeowners to ensure the safety of their drinking water," he added.
Some evacuated residents have been allowed back in.
DEEP said after they clean up the area there will be long-term monitoring to make sure the well water is safe. The trucking company will be responsible for the cleanup costs.
The highway ramp remains closed Tuesday morning and could remain closed until Wednesday.
