Tanker overturns, spills fuel on Glenn Highwa

MAT-SU Oct. 7, 6:17 pm-Traffic is stopped on the Glenn Highway tonight after a tanker loaded with 8,800 gallons of heating fuel overturned, taking out 200 feet of guardrail and coming to rest on the highway at mile 78 in Chickaloon.

The driver of the 24-wheeler was injured and taken to the hospital. Big State Logistics is the trucking company, according to Fire Chief James Steel of the Central MAT-SU Fire Department, who is on scene.

Steele reports that likely half the fuel has spilled. Absorbent pads were spread to try to prevent the fuel from going into the Matanuska River. Firefighters trained in hazardous materials were able to slow the rate of flow from the disabled tanker to less than a gallon a minute, while they await spill response teams from Valdez and Fairbanks, which are contracted by the trucking company.

The tanker was traveling outbound from Palmer. The accident occurred around 4 p.m. So far, traffic has been stopped on the two-lane highway for nearly 2.5 hours. Steele said they expect to open one lane of the road by 6:30 p.m. tonight.

For more information tonight, call Patty Sullivan at 745-9577 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.