PETERSBURG, Va. -- The Crater Regional Hazmat Team is investigating a large diesel fuel leak that made its way from Petersburg and into the Appomattox River Friday.
"The situation is under control and there is no danger to the public," city officials said. "The water supply is not affected."
Jefferson Street, in front of the Petersburg Home for Ladies, was closed due to the response.
“Just walking in the building to come to work, you could smell it, it was very strong,” said Jessica Hancock with Petersburg Home for Ladies.
Not knowing where the fuel was coming from, staffers at the home called the city's non-emergency number "and about five minutes later the Petersburg Fire Department was here,” Hancock recalled.
Fire crews quickly determined the source was not coming from the Ladies Home, but that it stretched for more than a mile.
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The source was found south of the Ladies Home at a house under renovation on Sycamore Street.
“It looks like some excavation that was done out in the parking lot," Petersburg Fire Chief Jim Reid said.
Heavy rains Thursday night into Friday morning eventually forced the fuel to spill out of an underground tank.
“Then it went down the curb and gutter and across the street into the curb and gutter and then made its way to the waterway,” Reid explained.
While the tank's capacity could hold up to 1,000 gallons, officials do not know how much fuel was in the tank before it overflowed.
Crews made their way to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and search along the river bank. That is where crews found a sheen on the water along the Appomattox River.
To contain the spill and prevent it from reaching the wastewater treatment plan, booms were installed and zip-tied to keep the fuel in one spot on the river.
Hazmat crews also used absorbent materials at the source of the spill to try and soak up as much of the fuel as they could. The tank was eventually pumped dry Friday afternoon.
Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality was called and arrived on scene to assess the situation and will be adding more booms, including absorbent ones, in the river.
DEQ officials will also be installing booms in Lieutenants Run Creek to stop the spill from spreading farther down the Appomattox River.
Crews from Petersburg Fire, Fort Gregg Adams, Prince George County, and Colonial Heights aided in the investigation.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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