WILDWOOD – A gasoline delivery tanker spilled an estimated 800 gallons of the fuel during a delivery to the Wawa at 418 W. Rio Grande Ave. on Sunday, July 20, fuel that ultimately ended up in the back bay.
The Police Department sent out Nixle reports beginning at 5:06 p.m. July 20 asking residents to avoid the 400 block of West Rio Grande Avenue due to a road closure. At 6:42 p.m., the police sent out another announcement, saying one eastbound lane was open but the store remained closed, with no mention of the spill.
Social media posts included an image of the scene, although according to Deputy Mayor and Director of Public Safety Steve Mikulski, as of about 11 a.m. on Monday, July 21, it was still unknown where the driver was at the time of the spill and why he could not turn off the flow, which ultimately ended up in storm sewers and in the back bay.
Mikulski said the state Department of Environmental Protection was notified of the incident, and the Coast Guard was on site performing hazardous materials spill mitigation. He said that, ultimately, the company that transports the gasoline would be responsible for the cost of the cleanup.
By 6:10 a.m. Monday the Wawa had reopened.
Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or call 609-886-8600, ext. 128.
