Empty home in Bradford site of fuel spill

BRADFORD – The Department of Environmental Protection was called to an East Road residence Friday after an estimated 100 gallons of home heating fuel leaked out of a punctured tank and into the basement.

No one was living in the house when the spill was reported about 6:30 p.m., according to Lt. Scott DeMoranville of the Bradford Fire Department. The owner, George Trask, was in the process of selling the building, which was undergoing repairs.

“It was kind of ironic,” DeMoranville said. “We were scheduled to burn that house Saturday.” He said that the owner earlier offered to let the Fire Department torch the house as a training exercise but found a buyer before that could happen.

DeMoranville said that the Fire Department remained at the scene for two hours but did not have the equipment required to clean up a fuel spill of that magnitude. A DEP representative who was called to the house made arrangements with a contractor to remove the fuel.

According to the lieutenant, little if any of the spilled fuel escaped the basement. He said the DEP agent who responded to the incident report told local firefighters that the fact that there was water in the basement helped prevent the fuel, which is lighter than water and floats on it, from seeping into the basement’s dirt floor.

DeMoranville said that a Clean Harbors truck equipped with a suction attachment and tank is scheduled to visit the home today to remove the spilled fuel.