Clean up continues in Rockville Centre after tanker crash injures four

Cleanup crews were still at work in Rockville Centre on Wednesday, one week after a 12,000-gallon tanker truck crashed into a vacant building early in the morning of Feb. 16. In addition to the truck driver, three firefighters were injured in the aftermath of the incident.

One firefighter was treated at the scene, while the driver, who had not been identified, was treated and released from a local hospital, along with two other firefighters, according to village spokeswoman Julie Grilli.

The gasoline tanker was headed east on Sunrise Highway at about 1:11 a.m. on Feb. 16 when it struck the vacant La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries store, which had been closed for months. The crash sparked a massive fireball as fuel spilled from the truck, and part of the building collapsed. Black smoke billowed into the air as the fire spread to the sewers beneath the street.

Some 25 fire departments from surrounding communities rushed to the scene, along with the village Fire Department, Police Department, Department of Public Works and Office of Emergency Management. The state Environmental Conservation and Transportation departments and the Coast Guard were also on the scene.

“We are thankful to the surrounding fire departments who came out and supported us,” Grilli said on Feb. 17. “We’re proud of the Rockville Centre Fire Department, the largest all-volunteer department in the state, and thankful for our village employees, as well as help from the county and state agencies.”

The spilled fuel made its way into  nearby Mill River. Because of the nature of the spill, the DEC could not precisely determine the volume of gasoline that was released, but in a statement, Gov. Kathy Hochul gave an estimate of 9,000 gallons. Bill Fonda, a spokesman for the DEC, wrote in an email to the Herald on Monday that spill response personnel were involved in the remediation effort, and were monitoring the impact on wildlife in the river.

“Contractors have replaced boom and sweep material placed in Mill River to control the gasoline spread at the start of this incident,” Fonda wrote. “They reported no visible floating product in the boomed area.”

He noted that the materials, which contain and absorb such spills, would be replaced as needed, and added that the surface contamination of the northern section of the river had been addressed using a vacuum truck, and the DEC was continuing to assess the impact on fish and wildlife. As of press time, four waterfowl, three fish and a number of red-eared slider turtles had been found dead, but there was no evidence that wildlife beyond that area of the river had been affected. Contaminated soil along the northern shore was being excavated and restored with clean soils and plantings. Once work to remediate the contamination is complete, there were expected to be no long-term effects from the spill, according to the DEC.

Another DEC spokesperson, Aphrodite Montalvo, wrote in an email on Friday that an absorbent boom had been deployed in the river near Merrick Road.

“The boom was deployed before significant amounts of gasoline entered the river, with most of the product contained to the northern section of the river,” Montalvo wrote. “Drone footage from the scene shows no visible impacts downstream of the containment area.”

The crash caused several power outages, but Grilli said that electricity had been restored to all homes and businesses near the accident site as of 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 16. Power was initially cut to remove fuel that spilled underground, where the electric units for the area are stored.

Sunrise Highway was closed in both directions for nearly 24 hours. Road closures remained in place in the days after the fire, and Grilli told the Herald before it went to press on Tuesday that all traffic lights were now functioning properly, and Sunrise Highway had no lane closures. There was a closure, however, between North Centre Avenue and Merrick Road as crews continued to work there.

In her statement, Hochul said the DEC had deployed department police officers and oil spill responders, including a drone pilot, to assess the potential environmental damage to Mill River and surrounding areas. They were also tasked with pumping out, cleaning and flushing the impacted drainage system near Mill River. The DOT was also assessing damage to the drainage system and pavement, according to Hochul.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said that 500 homes and businesses lost power, as did St. Agnes Cathedral, St. Agnes School and Riverside Elementary School, which were both closed on Feb. 16.

At press time, the tanker driver’s name had not been released, and Grilli said that police were still investigating the cause of the incident.