Upside Down Tanker Truck Leaks Fuel Forcing Hundreds From Their Homes

Police used door knocks and drove around making announcements over speakers to let hundreds of people know they needed to leave their homes due to a tanker truck leaking fuel after a crash in the Lehigh Valley Thursday morning.

The single-vehicle crash took place along West Union Avenue, near Paul Avenue, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Bethlehem police and fire officials said. That's a residential area.

The Bethlehem Fire Department said firefighters first learned of the crash around 2:10 a.m. and arrived to find diesel fuel and gasoline leaking from the overturned truck.

Police officers and firefighters then began evacuating people from a radius of 1,000 feet, Bethlehem Fire Chief Warren Achey said. Neighbors said police officers drove around using megaphones and knocking on doors to tell people they needed to leave

The tanker truck driver was treated for undisclosed injuries, police said. He was able to crawl out of the wrecked cab.

Fuel could be seen leaking from the tanker, Achey said.

"We're concerned about the fumes," Achey said.

Initially, dispatchers said people were evacuated from their homes as a precaution.

Nitschmann Middle School was used as a temporary shelter. It wasn't clear how many people wound up at the shelter. The school was operating on a two-hour delay for students.

The Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania said hundreds of homes were impacted and they were providing services and supplying food.

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The exact cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear. Roads in the area were closed throughout Thursday morning as crews worked to clear the scene.

Crews monitored air quality in homes and also tried to limit the runoff into waterways, Achey said.

To clear the scene, the tanker needed to be flipped and the remaining fuel off loaded.

The fuel and tanker were removed from the area late Thursday afternoon and residents were allowed back inside their homes.