PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The U.S. Coast Guard, along with federal, state and local agencies are responding Friday to a fuel tank leak at the Kinder Morgan South Hill facility in Chesapeake.
Kinder Morgan made a National Response Center report at 7:18 a.m. Friday stating one of the facility's fuel tanks was leaking. The tank held 1.2 million gallons of JP-1 jet fuel. The facility and approximately 70 local homes were evacuated. Residents were allowed to return to their homes at approximately 1 p.m.
Crews from the Coast Guard, Environmental Protection Agency, Chesapeake Fire Dept., Chesapeake Police Dept., Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality, Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management, and the Port of Virginia Maritime Incident Response Team are working to remove the fuel.
The source of the leak was secured, and the contents are being transferred to another tank at the facility. Approximately 126,000 gallons of leaking fuel was contained by an emergency containment system and is being removed by pumps and tank trucks.
Air monitoring is being conducted near the site.
For more information, contact Capt. Scott Saunders of the Chesapeake Fire Dept. at 757-615-8190.
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