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SALT LAKE CITY -- A tanker hauling jet fuel lost one of its tanks Thursday morning, forcing the closure of both southbound on- and off-ramps to Interstate 15 at 600 North.
Troopers evacuated six homes in the area as a safety precaution as crews unloaded the fuel from the tipped tank. Those residents were allowed back in their homes around 11:45 a.m.
"It's contained right now. It's not leaking anymore, but when we arrived on scene it was leaking fuel," said Tanner Jensen with the Utah Highway Patrol.
As far as we know he was just driving and the next thing he noticed was the tank slowly tipping to the right.
–Trooper Tanner Jensen
The double tanker was on the ramp when its second tank overturned shortly after 7 a.m. Troopers say they're still trying to determine if the driver was going too fast and lost the tank while entering the freeway ramp, or if the latch connecting the two tanks broke.
"As far as we know he was just driving and the next thing he noticed was the tank slowly tipping to the right," Jensen said.
Salt Lake City hazmat teams secured the tank and determined it was only leaking because the cap fell off when the tank rolled.
Troopers estimate the cleanup should be complete by 1 p.m. Once the tank is loaded onto a tow truck and cleared, the ramps will reopen.
Troopers say no one was hurt in the accident.
E-mail: spark@ksl.com
