UPDATE: Northbound Lanes Of I-680 Reopened; Evacuation Order Lifted In Gasoline Tanker Crash
FREMONT (CBS SF) -- A crash involving an overturned gasoline tanker truck shut down all northbound lanes of I-680 in Fremont for several hours Friday, dumping thousands of gallons of diesel fuel into a storm drain and retention pond, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homes near the crash site.
The California Highway Patrol said the crash happened at about 4:50 a.m. between Durham Road/Automall Parkway and S. Grimmer Blvd.
CHP Officer Tyler Hahn said that before overturning, the truck had been involved in a collision with Toyota RAV4 that spun out and stalled.
Arriving CHP officers immediately called in the Fremont Fire Department and a multiple-agency hazardous materials response was ordered. Approximately 7,900 gallons of gasoline leaked from the fuel truck.
For hours crews labored at the scene as the northbound lanes of the major East Bay freeway remained shut down. By 3:30 p.m., two of the three northbound lanes had been reopened and the local residents who were forced to evacuate were allowed to return home.
About 100 homes located along the I-680 south sound wall had been evacuated by police because of the smell of gasoline, the fire department said. The Public Works Corps Yard was offered as a temporary evacuation shelter for residents.
The third lane was finally reopened at 7:50 p.m. - 14 hours and 24 minutes after the crash.
It was not immediately known if there were injuries or what caused the crash.
