A truck rollover shut down the southbound lanes of Highway 101 near the Gaviota Tunnel shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday.
A semi-tractor-trailer overturned and ruptured a fuel tank on Highway 101, one-quarter mile north of the Gaviota State Beach turnoff, according to Capt. David Sadecki of the Santa Barbara County Fire Department.
Two fire engines, a battalion chief and an air ambulance responded to the scene, where the big rig had been carrying a flatbed full of copper utility cables before it went off the road for unknown reasons, Sadecki said.
The truck’s driver sustained minor injuries and refused medical treatment at the scene, and a helicopter and ambulance called earlier were canceled.
One fire engine was still on scene around 3 p.m. assisting with the truck’s diesel fuel leak, which was causing fuel to spill into a nearby creek.
Sadecki said that the Department of Fish & Wildlife had been contacted about the spill, and that the California Highway Patrol and Caltrans were also on scene.
The No. 2 lane of the highway will remain closed until a heavy tow truck can arrive on scene and right the semi-truck, Sadecki said, estimating that fire crews would remain on scene for the next two to three hours.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at lcooper@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
