NAPLES DAILY NEWS

Crews need 11 hours to clean fuel spill on State Road 29 in wake of crash

Monday, January 27, 2003

Daily News staff


A three-vehicle wreck on State Road 29 in rural Collier County caused a fuel spill that took fire crews about 11 hours to mop up Sunday, firefighters said.

A crash involving two cars and a fuel tanker truck created the mess just before 6 a.m. on SR 29, from Oil Well Road to Interstate 75, prompting officials with the Collier Sheriff's Office to shut down the road.

Tina Osceola, a spokeswoman with the Sheriff's Office, said although no one was killed, three people aboard the vehicles were taken to area hospitals.

"It was a big spill," she said. "I'm not sure how many gallons (of fuel) there were."

Information about the severity of the injuries or to which hospitals the victims were taken was not available.

Bobby Campbell, a firefighter with Ochopee Fire Control District, said fire crews were out on the road for most of the day, mopping up the spill until about 5 p.m.

Osceola said Lisa Douglas, a spokeswoman with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, was handling part of the investigation.