Cleanup crews work overnight to contain spill from overturned tractor-trailer on South Sprigg

BY J.C. REEVES

Southeast Missourian

A tractor-trailer carrying a flammable liquid overturned Thursday evening requiring overnight cleanup and road closure on South Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau.

According to Sgt. Joey Hann with the Cape Girardeau Police Department, at approximately 6:15 p.m. a commercial tanker hauling a flammable liquid overturned in the 2500 block of South Sprigg Street. The driver was uninjured in the incident, and no other vehicles or pedestrians were involved.

Cape Girardeau fire crews worked overnight to clean up the spill, which, according to battalion chief Brad Dillow, was mostly contained in the trailer.

The Cape Girardeau Fire Department and other cleanup crews work to contain a flammable liquid that spilled after a tractor-trailer overturned Thursday night on South Sprigg. The road between South Kingshighway and Buzzi Unicem was closed overnight for cleanup, and is expected to open back up around 1 p.m. Friday.Submitted

“Initially we had a couple 55 gallon drums leaking slowly. Just small drips. That’s all we could detect because we really couldn’t get inside the trailer,” Dillow said. “We contained that with booms and pads so it would not spread to any other area with the rain and everything we were dealing with last night.

“This morning around 3:15 is when we finally got the tractor unhooked from it, and got the trailer uprighted to where we could get inside of the trailer. Once we got inside then we determined that we had multiple drums that were leaking and had ruptured inside the trailer. Luckily, most of that was contained inside the trailer. So right now the cleanup crew is removing it and putting it in another trailer to be hauled away.”

Dillow said the liquid spilled is believed to be paint waste which also poses a moderate inhalation hazard.

Cape PD posted on Twitter at 8:44 p.m. Thursday South Sprigg from South Kingshighway to Buzzi Unicem concrete supplier would be closed most of the night because of the accident, and encouraged drivers to seek alternate routes. The road was still closed Friday morning, and Dillow estimated the road would be opened back up around noon or 1 p.m. Friday.

The Cape fire department received mutual aid from Jackson, East County, Gordonville and Scott City Fire Departments to assist with cleanup and backfill the stations while crews worked overnight.