Calif. Crews Stand By For Risky Tanker Recovery

Oct. 12--A fuel tanker that rolled over Tuesday afternoon on a hillside above Clear Lake prompted a tense, 10-hour operation involving high-risk procedures to drill into the tanker to siphon its load, fire officials said.

A hazardous incident team from Mendocino County was called to assist Lake County firefighters with the effort, in which fire crews with hoses at the ready waited on stand-by while specially trained personnel drilled into three fuel tank compartments to get to the kerosene inside, Deputy Chief Pat Brown of the Northshore Fire Protection District said.

The risk of sparks or friction meant everyone had to be in protective gear and ready to fight a fire if one occurred, Brown said.

"It's what we call low-frequency, high-risk calls . . . and we train a lot," he said.

The tanker was carrying 1,600 gallons of kerosene for home heating when it left Highway 20 in Glen Haven and headed up a mile-long, private driveway to the home of John and Maggie Freeman shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday, Brown said.

En route, the private road collapsed and the fuel tanker tumbled downhill, rolling three times and landing on its side, Brown said.

The Redwood Empire Hazardous Incident Team composed of eight specially trained personnel from the Ukiah Fire, Ukiah Valley Fire and Cal Fire agencies was called out, along with Northshore fire crews and a Cal Fire engine, he said.

The fuel had to be removed before the tanker could be righted, requiring the pneumatic drilling procedure that, though high risk, went off without a hitch, Brown said.

About 1,084 gallons of kerosene were siphoned into another tanker in a process that lasted past midnight, Brown said.

Lake County Environmental Health officials were to determine Wednesday how much kerosene spilled into the soil, which would then have to be removed, Brown said.