Traffic is being impacted on northbound Highway 427 approaching the 401 after a truck carrying diesel rolled over on Tuesday, causing fuel to leak onto the roadway.
OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt posted a video online of the collision scene, showing diesel flowing out of the tanker truck.
Schmidt said the crash happened on Highway 427 approaching the ramp to the westbound 401.
“We currently have all lanes blocked,” he said.
“All traffic 427 northbound is going to get forced off and will be forced to 401 eastbound. There is no access to the westbound lanes.”
He said crews were working to contain the leak and hopefully get the rest of the diesel transferred to another vehicle.
Schmidt said there is no evacuation in place and noted that the flashpoint for diesel is higher than that of gasoline.
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“But obviously environmentally this is a huge concern that we have,” he said.
In an update posted to Twitter around 3:45 p.m., Schmidt said fuel was still leaking and pump trucks were working to collect the fuel. Video showed dams placed at the scene in a bid to contain the diesel.
Schmidt said crews were waiting for equipment to get on scene that would allow them to drill a hole in the top of the fuel tanker and offload the rest of the diesel into a replacement truck.
There is no word on what led to the collision.
In an update just after 9:15 p.m., police said the northbound ramp of Highway 427 to Highway 401 westbound remained closed.
“Vehicle in the process of being removed,” the tweet reads. “Hope to have lanes reopened shortly.”
Police said the driver of the truck, a 52-year-old from Markham, has been charged with careless driving.
The driver was not injured as a result of the incident.
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