An investigation was underway Friday into an early morning crash of a tanker truck that led to a large fuel spill on the grounds of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
The incident happened around 5:20 a.m., according to Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesperson Helen Tederous. A Prior Aviation tanker truck, carrying an estimated 4,800 gallons of fuel, struck a fence and the spill commenced.
"Immediately after, say, within the first five minutes, our emergency crews were at the scene making sure it was contained," Tederous said. "The containment took about an hour and a half."
Officials explained they set up a series of dikes to contain the spill and prevent as much as they could from polluting the immediate environment.
"In terms of the volume that got into out storm water system, that's still under investigation," said NFTA environmental engineer Brian McDonald. "Most of the fuel that was spilled would have been collected through our diking and our remediation on our side with the sand to clean all that up."
About 2,800 gallons of fuel still in the truck were transferred to another tanker. The driver involved in the crash was not hurt nor were any other injuries reported. Weather, officials say, is a factor that remained under consideration as part of the investigation into the early morning crash.
The incident did not affect air travel to and from the airport. There were temporary road closures, though, in the westbound lanes of Genesee Street and on Hotlz Drive between Genesee and Aero Drive.
Emergency responders from Buffalo, Cheektowaga, the NFTA and New York State were on the scene. More than 70 firefighters were reported as participating.
