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Hwy reopens after fuel spill

The highway to Tofino and Ucluelet reopened Friday after a day-long closure to clean up a fuel spill from a tanker truck crash.

The truck crashed onto its side about 60 kilometres west of Port Alberni on Thursday, cutting off the communities from the rest of Vancouver Island.

An estimated 3,000 litres of jet fuel were spilled onto the highway and into Kennedy Lake. It was bound for Ucluelet to power logging helicopters. 

Kennedy Lake was just 10 feet away from the spill.

“When the pup ruptured and we were leaking, it travelled to both sides of the highway, so one going to the cliff side and one going to the water side,” Environmental Emergency Response Manager John Kervel told CTV.

Travellers near the scene spent the night in their vehicles.

– with files from CTV Vancouver Island



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