Petrol Tanker overturned at Oldham

Petrol Tanker Overturned at Rock Street Junction with Radcliffe Street, Oldham, 5th August, 1970

A call was received to the above address and three appliances, a Pump Escape, Water Tender and Emergency Salvage Tender we~e sent together with 100 gallons of foam. The machines arnved at the incident within two minutes of the call and a fo~m tender was requested from Manchester Fire Brigade. An articulated petrol tanker of 6,000 gallon capacity, owned by Messrs. Burmah Oil Trading Limited, had overturned whilst negotiating a righthand turn with an adverse camber at a cross roads and was resting on its nearside against a stone wall. The electrical control box to a concrete lighting column which had been demolished by the tanker was positioned immediat~ly beneath the tank of the vehicle. The driver had escaped Without injury through the windscreen, and although there was no fire, petroleum spirit was escaping from six of the seven tanker compartments through the top hatches. No. 5 compartment of 500 gallons had been discharged prior to the accident.

From the scene of the accident the ground fell away to the south and south east to an area containing industrial and commercial property and to the north and north-west the open rising ~o_und was used for car parking. Immediately adjacent to the mc1dent was a public house and a row of nineteenth century terraced dwellings. The weather was dry and sunny and it was fortunate that a light breeze was blowing from the south-east although because of the land contours the petrol that was escaping from the tanker was flowing towards the heavily populated area. Top priority was given to sealing off the area, the siting of foam making equipment and the notification of tl'.e Borough Engineer's Department, River Board, Borough Lighting Department and the North Western Electricity Board. The two latter authorities were engaged at a nearby substation in the isolation of the electrical supply circuit to the

Report by H. Garlick Chief Fire Officer, Oldham

street lighting column. The escaping spirit was flowing into the street drains and water from open ended lines of hose was applied to assist rapid dispersal. Occupants of property in the immediate area were warned to extinguish all naked lights and a prohibition of smoking etc. was enforced by the police.

A mobile heavy duty vehicle accident recovery unit was requested and whilst preparations for righting the tanker went ahead, arrangements were made for approximately 4,500 gallons of petroleum spirit still in the tanks to be transferred from the overturned tanker to an empty tanker. The damaged tanker and surrounding areas were covered with a layer of foam and an improvised bunding of salvage sheets was employed because of the sloping ground. The tanker was righted onto its wheels at approximately 1500 hours. The incident had lasted approximately six hours from start to finish during which time approximately 945 gallons of spirit had entered the drains. Only relatively slight damage was sustained to the tank vehicle which was driven away under escort for Ministry of Transport inspection. In a statement the driver said he had entered the turn at about ten miles per hour and had to pull further over into an adverse camber because of on-coming traffic. A subsequent inspection carried out by an T nspector of the Ministry of Transport revealed that the tanker was in perfect condition and was only three months old.

Subsequently ten calls were received from premises reporting a smell of petrol the farthest of which was approximately oneand-a-quarter miles from the scene of the incident. The last call was received 48 hours after the incident. All calls were investigated and tests made with an explosimeter. In no case was it necessary to take precautionary measures other than ventilating.

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