At 215pm on August 15, 2008, the Seattle Fire Department requested EPA assistance at a mobile crane that had caught on fire on Interstate 5 (north) between the Mercer Street and Lakeview Boulevard exit. EPA OSCs Terada and Fowlow responded from the EPA Regional Office followed by START in the EPA Emergency Response Truck (ERT).
Upon reaching the scene, Seattle Fire Department had already put out the fire and took steps to stop diesel fuel and other petroleum products from leaking from the crane. EPA worked with members of the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Incident Response Team to close off storm drains near the fire site and spread oil absorbent materials down to prevent further discharges of diesel fuel and petroleum products into the drains.
The main concern during this response was the potential for 250 gallons of diesel fuel and other petroleum products, from the crane, to spill into freeway side storm drains that flow directly into Lake Union (1/8 mile away).
Prior to moving the crane, EPA personnel put addition oil absorbent materials near the drains to prevent and capture as much diesel fuel and/or petroleum product as possible. Once the crane was moved, EPA personnel assisted the responsible party in cleaning up the diesel fuel and petroleum product soaked debris and absorbent materials. To prevent further leaking, WSDOT personnel was able to pump transfer approximately 60 gallons of diesel fuel from the crane to a temporary holding tank.
EPA ensured that all of the petroleum product from the crane was cleaned-up and the responsible party understood their obligations to properly dispose of the oil and other petroleum product soaked material.
The scene was deemed secure at 600pm with EPA personnel demobilizing from the site.
Upon clean-up of the site of the crane fire, Axis Crane contracted with Emerald Recycling for disposal of the oil soaked pads and aborbent.
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The crane had a total carrying capacity of 250 gallons of diesel fuel along with additional petroleum products, e.g., hydraulic oil, transmission and brake fluids. Due to the fire, many of the fuel tanks on the crane had ruptured and thus fuel and other fluids began to leak onto the ground and began flowing into freeway side storm drains. The storm drains in this section of freeway are connected via piping and flow directly into Lake Union located directly downhill and approximately 1/8 miles away.
Due to the potential threat of diesel fuel and other petroleum product flowing into the storm drains, oil absorbent material was put down to contain as much fluid as possible, along with oil spill pads near the drains. Most of the diesel fuel and petroleum product leaked to the ground was contained at the drains and along the fire site using absorbent materials. Majority of the diesel fuel and petroleum product was prevented from entering the freeway side storm drains. Any diesel fuel and/or petroleum product that entered the storm drains was minimal and would pose little to no effect in Lake Union.
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