Emergency personnel and clean up crews were on scene for over 3 hours following a substantial fuel spill Thursday (May 15, 2014) evening along Tide Road in Hometown. Rush Township Police said the incident was caused when the driver of a tractor-trailer ruptured his fuel tank after impacting a light post located in the Wal-Mart parking lot.
Responders were able to arrive quickly to prevent the leaking fuel from spreading off the roadway.
Dispatched in addition to police were Hometown Fire Company, Hometown Fire Police and Hope’s Towing and Collision.
Members of the Quakake Fire Company also responded and served as support volunteers for the crews at the scene. The members contacted a member of the Tamaqua Volunteers group, who in turn received donations of food and refreshments from Dominoes Pizza in Tamaqua and Two Kings Pizza in Hometown. Firefighter Dylan Trexler said that Turkey Hill in Hometown and the Tamaqua Masonic Lodge No. 357 also donated food and drinks.
The tractor-trailer had to be towed from the scene. The last crews left around 10:45 PM.
Quakake Fire Company also responded to another fuel spill earlier in the day after a tractor-trailer left a long fuel leak along SR309 north near Still Creek. That incident was allegedly caused after the driver of a tractor-trailer forgot to put the cap back on the fuel tank. Their was no word if the driver was caught.