Overturned Gasoline Tanker Spills 2,000 Gallons Of Product Into Storm Drains, Streets And Waterways: NCFM

NORTH LAWRENCE, NY — All lanes in both directions of the Rockaway Turnpike were closed Wednesday after a tanker truck turned on its side at the border and began leaking fluid between Queens and Nassau County, fire officials said.

According to the Nassau County Fire Marshal, the Meadowmere Park Fire Department was called to the overturned tanker at the intersection of the turnpike and East Avenue at 11:08 a.m.

Fire officials said FDNY responded to the same incident, with the 12,400-gallon gasoline tanker spilling about 2,000 gallons of the 8,500 it was carrying onto the street, into storm drains and into Jamaica Bay. Fire officials said at about 2:30 p.m. that the leak had “mostly been stopped.”

Fire officials said three injuries were reported as a result of the incident, with no one requesting medical transport and no other vehicles involved.

In total, fire officials said there were over 100 firefighters on the scene from Meadowmere Park FD, FDNY, and 16 additional departments across Nassau County. A county hazmat unit, the coast guard, the state department of environmental conservation and a full FDNY assignment including hazmat and satellite units were also called to the scene, officials said. The DEC and coast guard, officials said, will be monitoring the scene for runoff and contamination from the truck.

At press time, officials said the incident was still an active emergency and was expected to last for several more hours. Q113 and Q114 buses in Queens were delayed, which officials said could impact businesses supporting JFK Airport. In Nassau, officials said Rockaway Turnpike was closed between Peninsula Boulevard in Nassau County and Brookville Boulevard in Queens.