Authorities: Spill likely came from truck tank

WEST MIDDLESEX, Pa. -- Authorities said it appears a leaking fuel tank on a truck was responsible for a spill that allowed some of the fuel to get into Hogback Run.
A person walking near the creek in the borough shortly before 9 a.m. Tuesday noticed a smell of diesel fuel and a sheen on the water and notified authorities.
Firefighters put booms in the creek near Pa. Route 18 to prevent the fuel from getting into the nearby Shenango River.
They traced the flow back upstream to a point near the Pa. Route 60/Pa. Route 318 intersection, where they found a pool of fuel that apparently had come from a leaking truck tank.
The amount of fuel that got into Hogback Run was small and didn't appear to cause any harm to wildlife, said Freda Tarbell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
That same section of Hogback Run was hit by a more deadly hazardous materials spill about six weeks ago when a truck overturned on an Interstate 80 entrance ramp.
The truck was carrying sodium hydroxide, which got into the creek and killed thousands of fish and other stream life.
Authorities said the truck with the leaking tank left the scene of Tuesday's spill and they were unable to find any responsible party.