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Gas spill at Canadian Tire quickly contained
Brett Bundale
The Gazette
Thursday, August 7, 2008
A gasoline spill at the Canadian Tire filling station in Kirkland early Tuesday morning had work crews struggling to clean up hundreds of litres of fuel.
Police said the accident happened at about 2:45 a.m. Tuesday, when a tanker truck backed into a gas pump, said Montreal Police Const. Laurent Gingras.
Police estimated nearly 800 litres of gas poured out of the pump before it was contained, although Environment Quebec said it was between 100 and 200 litres and a spokesperson for Canadian Tire said 100 litres were spilled.
A private cleanup crew was brought in to ensure the flow of fuel was stopped, conduct an environmental impact assessment and clean up the fuel that had poured out of the broken pump, said Lisa Gibson, a Canadian Tire spokesperson.
The accident closed the westbound exit off Highway 40 at St. Charles Blvd. until about 8 a.m. The gas station was opened at about 9 a.m.
Quebec’s Environment Ministry arrived on the scene just after 3 a.m. According to spokesperson Hélène Proteau, the situation was quickly taken under control and did not pose a risk to residents or businesses in the area, and little if any gas entered the sewer system.
Gas Spill
Kudos to the excellent work of the fire department in swiftly containing this accidental fuel spillage and averting a disastrous situation, and ensuring the safety of the residents in the area, as well as the passerby. It's a darn scary situation when gas or oil enters our storm sewers and not just because of the potential for water contamination, but for the possibility of explosions and the immediate threat to human life. To those brave men and women, let's say a heartfelt "thank-you" and a big tip of our hats for a job well done!
Bill Wilkat
Pierrefonds