School bus in Vandalia spills gallons of diesel fuel

A contractor tonight is mopping up what's left of approximately 30 gallons of diesel fuel that spilled from a school bus in Vandalia late Tuesday afternoon.

Rich Hopkins, city communication manager, said the largest amount of the spill appears to have occurred in the parking lot of Helke Elementary School on Randler Avenue.

The spill was reported just after 4 p.m., and according to Vandalia police/fire communications, the bus continued on a route that included West Alkaline Springs Road to Helke Road, and from Stonequarry to Dog Leg roads.

Hopkins said some of the fuel made its way into the sewer system, but there was no evacuation or injuries.

Chris Abbruzzese, an Ohio EPA spokesman in Columbus, said the Vandalia Fire Department spread a lot of the absorbent material used to sop up the spill.

He confirmed that most of the spill occurred in the parking lot and that there was a trickle of fuel for a couple of miles when the bus left the school.

The Ohio EPA was called to monitor the situation, to make sure the spill was being handled correctly, Abbruzzese said.