A trailer carrying 6,900 gallons of fuel overturned near the northbound State Route 14 on-ramp at Sand Canyon Road, causing a hard closure in the area on Friday, according to a California Highway Patrol Newhall-area Office official.
The incident was first reported at approximately 9:26 a.m., said Carlos Burgos-Lopez, a spokesman for the CHP Newhall office, and added that on arrival officers were told the trailer was carrying a large amount of fuel.
At the time, it was unknown whether any of the fuel had spilled, so as a precautionary measure the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s HAZMAT team wasdispatched to respond to the scene, Burgos-Lopez added.
“Due to the potential threat of a leak or anything like that, they shut down the immediate area around there,” he said. A SigAlert was issued as a result of the incident and both the southbound and northbound on-ramps at Sand Canyon on SR-14 were also closed down for an unknown duration of time.
In a follow up phone call on Friday afternoon, Burgos-Lopez stated that circumstances leading to the solo vehicle crash were still under investigation, but preliminary information indicated speed was a factor.
Through their investigation officers also determined that no fuel had leaked from the overturned vehicle and it was no longer deemed a HAZMAT situation, just a property damage collision, Burgos-Lopez added. No injuries were reported.
As of 2:30 p.m. Friday, L.A. County firefighters were still on the scene assisting with a fuel transfer. Another trailer was called to the scene of the incident to empty the fuel from the overturned trailer, so officials could then safely flip the vehicle right side up and clear the scene.
The SigAlert for both on-ramp closures remained in place and Sand Canyon Road was also shut down as of the publication of this story, according to Burgos-Lopez. A time frame of when the area would reopen was not immediately known.
Commuters were advised to seek alternative routes.
