PORT EVERGLADES, Fla. – About 8,000 gallons of diesel spilled Thursday night near Port Everglades after a fuel tanker crashed and overturned, Broward Sheriff's Office Fire Rescue spokesman Frank Correggio said.
The rollover crash happened shortly before midnight near Eller Drive and Southeast 19th Avenue near Port Everglades.
Firefighters covered the diesel fuel with foam to mitigate the leak, but some of the fuel leaked into the Intracoastal Waterway, causing an environmental concern.
"The fuel and runoff unfortunately has reached the Intracoastal Waterway," Correggio said. "We've diked the drain, and also the Coast Guard has put an absorbent boom into the waterway to absorb the fuel that leaked in there."
It was not immediately known how much fuel seeped into the water.
"Environmentally, we cover all the bases, and one of those is to have a patrol boat that is out looking for sea life, manatees and sea turtles, to make sure that nothing's getting caught up in the oil," John Hines, area manager of Cliff Berry, Inc., an environmental services company, said.
Port spokeswoman Ellen Kennedy said Port Everglades is the fuel-distribution hub for all of South Florida, and the tanker driver was likely hauling the fuel to a gas station before the crash.
The driver was taken to Broward Health Medical Center with minor injuries.
More than 50 firefighters and hazardous materials technicians were called to the scene of the crash and spill. A total of 16 agencies were working in the spill zone.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.