Big Rig Flips, Spills 1,700 Gallons of Gasoline Backing Traffic Up to Richmond

An estimated 1,700 gallons of gasoline spilled along a busy San Rafael road Monday morning, when a big rig overturned in the area, CHP officials report.
 
It all started just before 7 a.m., when a Sacramento man was hauling a big rig westbound on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, west of Anderson Drive in San Rafael.  
 
"Attached to the truck were two tank trailers containing approximately 1,700 gallons of gasoline each," CHP Officer Andrew Barclay said in a statement. 
 
Barclay said investigators believe that while the truck was going west on Sir Francis Drake, "...the right side tires on one of the trailers traveled onto the soft dirt shoulder, causing the trailer to begin to slide out." 
 
The driver tried to correct the issue, but instead lost all control of the vehicle and trailers. 
 
"As a result, the truck and trailers rolled onto their right side and slid across the eastbound lane of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard before coming to rest blocking all lanes," Barclay said, adding that the driver was able to free himself from the wreckage with no injuries.
 
Though the truck and first trailer didn't go any further from that point, the back trailer "continued to roll" and eventually came to a rest on its roof, according to the CHP.  When that happened, it was punctured and all of the fuel began to leak out. 
 
"All agencies on scene coordinated a containment plan to protect homes and waterways in the area," Barclay said.  "In order to eliminate any ignition source from the area, PG&E was contacted and power in the area was shut off."
 
What's more, nearby houses in the San Quentin Village were evacuated as a precaution.
 
"Sir Francis Boulevard between Larkspur Landing Circle and I-580 was closed and traffic was diverted onto city streets," Barclay said.  "As a result of the closures, traffic was backed up on I-580 from San Rafael into Richmond as well as on surface streets in San Rafael."
 
Nearby ferry commuters at Larkspur Landing weren't affected, he said. 
 
Now that the area has been contained, a second big rig has been called out to the scene to help remove the spilled gas and carry off the gas from the still-intact trailer, according to Barclay.
 
"Once all of the fuel has been removed from the trailers a heavy duty tow truck will begin the process or righting the truck and trailers so they can be cleared from the roadway," he said.  "Once the vehicles are cleared a hazardous materials team will assess the scene and determine what cleanup procedures need to be performed."
 
Since it appears that all the fuel inside the second trailer may have leaked out, crews worked to contain it in dams and clear it with pumps.

"It is unknown when Sir Francis Drake will fully reopen to traffic, however the preliminary estimate is sometime after the evening commute has started," CHP Officer Barclay said. 
 
Barclay warned that the roads most likely to be affected are US-101 in San Rafael as well westbound I-580 entering Marin County. 

 
Patch will update this breaking news story as more information becomes available.