Overturned diesel tanker stalls Boulder City traffic

Jace Radke

Wednesday, July 25, 2001 | 11:15 a.m.

Boulder City emergency personnel did not have to evacuate two busy shopping centers after a tanker truck carrying diesel fuel overturned and sprung a leak Tuesday night. But they were left with a mess that closed a portion of U.S. 93 for hours.

Boulder City Fire Chief Dean Molburg said he was glad the spill wasn't worse, as he helped supervise cleanup efforts at the intersection of Buchanan Boulevard and U.S. 93.

"If this had been gasoline, we'd have had to evacuate everyone in a mile radius from here," Molburg said. "Gasoline is much more flammable and has more flashpoints than diesel."

The accident happened about 5:30 p.m., when a tractor-trailer hauling about 7,500 gallons of diesel overturned as it made a turn from southbound 93 at Buchanan to head south on the U.S. 93 truck route to Hoover Dam.

Shopping centers sit at the northeast and southwest corners of the intersection of 93 and Buchanan.

"It happened right in our rush hour, and that was bad, but it would have been a nightmare had it happened on a Saturday with all the traffic we have on the weekend," Molburg said.

It took crews more than seven hours to clean up the spill, and traffic on 93 was diverted at Veteran's Memorial Drive and Industrial Road during the cleanup.

No charges have been filed in the accident pending the completion of an investigation, Sgt. John Chase, Boulder City Police spokesman, said. The driver of the truck, which was emblazoned with a logo that read "Luckylady," was not hurt in the accident, Chase said.

The cleanup was coordinated by Boulder City's emergency manager, and the Nevada Highway Patrol was called in to assist in the investigation, Chase said.