Emergency workers from New York City, Nassau County and the federal government are responding to an overturned truck leaking fuel into the street, officials said Wednesday.
The incident happened at 11 a.m. this morning when a 3,000 gallon fuel truck crashed on its side near the intersection of Meyer Avenue and Rockaway Boulevard on the border between Nassau County and Queens, according to the FDNY.
A spokesperson for the Nassau County Police Department said Rockaway Boulevard is closed in both directions between Peninsula and Brookville boulevards.
Authorities said the truck was carrying gasoline and that it was blanketed by foam just before 1 p.m. Wednesday. It’s unclear how much gas leaked from the truck and if it reached the waterway a few hundred feet away.
An FDNY spokesperson said several other federal, state and local agencies were responding to contain the fuel from leaking into the sewer and nearby waterway connecting to Jamaica Bay. They include the U.S. Coast Guard, Nassau police and fire marshal, NYC Emergency Management and the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, along with the local Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department.
The cause of the accident wasn’t immediately clear.
FDNY officials said the driver of the truck refused medical attention and that Nassau officials are leading the investigation.
This is a developing story and may be updated.