A tanker truck that left the road and rolled on Sunday caused local emergency crews some grief when it was found to be leaking its hazardous contents. Luckily, the event was managed with no risk to the public.
The incident occurred late Sunday afternoon near Roche Percee, on Highway 39 east of the Souris River. The tanker was transporting UN 3295, a volatile hydrocarbon that Estevan Fire Chief Shane Code likened to gasoline.
“It’s in the same class and category as gasoline,” said Code. He noted this particular substance turns to vapour quicker than gasoline, and that makes it less stable.
“They use it for sludge in the oil in the pipes to make it less viscous, so they can move material faster,” added Code.
Estevan RCMP Sergeant Cate Rigaux said it was a good thing there was some wind that dispersed the vaporized liquid quickly, so it wasn’t lingering at the scene.
“It was dispersed as soon as it started leaking,” she said. “If it had been a calm, hot day, it would have been a little more concerning.”
The truck was being driven north on Highway 39, having left North Portal minutes before. The driver of the truck, who was not injured, has been charged with driving without due care and attention.
Rigaux said there was another driver on the highway who alleges the truck was veering onto the shoulder, and once the truck hit the shoulder it was pulled into the ditch.
“We showed up and had a vehicle overturned well off the road, and the first thing we do is confirm we’ve got the product we’ve got, stage upwind – we give ourselves at least 1,000 feet, and then we look for sources of ignition,” said Code.
The firefighters then checked for a leak, which they found at the relief valves on the top of the tanker, which was now on its side.
“All the liquid was pushed up against them, so we had a very slow leak progress to a slow to moderate leak as we waited for the response teams,” said Code.
The first responders put absorbent down and then kept any arriving motorists away from the scene until crews arrived to pump the remaining material into a new tank.
Passenger vehicle traffic was rerouted with help from the Ministry of Highways and Infrastructure, while commercial trucks were held at the border.
The Ministry of Environment was alerted to the situation, but Code said there isn’t expected to be any long-term consequences, given that the material evaporated.
“It’s like gasoline, so because it’s a hydrocarbon it’s going to evaporate like your fuel. If it had breached and there was a great pour, the Ministry of Environment would be more involved,” he said.
Emergency services said there was no immediate risk to anyone in the vicinity. The residents of one nearby property were notified of the incident, and Rigaux said, while they weren’t evacuated, the residents did leave the area voluntarily.
“We would have evacuated if there had been people in close proximity, but it was in a good spot and the wind favoured us,” added Code, who said, had there been a fire, crews would have had to evacuate up to about half a mile in all directions. “Fortunately, we were limited to a leak, and with the wind, it helps to evaporate it quite quickly.”
The Estevan Fire Rescue service was at the scene until about 9:30 p.m., and the RCMP remained until about 11 o’clock that night.
