OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — People have safely returned home to apartments in Oshkosh after a tanker rollover Wednesday morning led authorities to evacuate them.
- A tanker carrying thousands of gallons of ethanol rolled into a ditch along Highway 91 near Oakwood Road
- Oshkosh Fire and Police evacuated residents from a nearby apartment complex out of precaution
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, with additional details for the web.)
The Oshkosh Fire Department says the the tanker crashed early Wednesday morning and that it was carrying ethanol when in rolled into the ditch.
The department's John Holland says the driver wasn't hurt, and they evacuated nearby apartments and a business out of caution.
Traffic was also impacted for hours.
Holland says it took a long time to remove the truck because they first had to drain thousands of gallons of ethanol.
“Even if the tank was intact, we were worried about it twisting and shifting and creating a leak which would have made it even worse," said Holland.
A man who lives in the complex, who declined to be named, says he's happy that residents were able to go on with their day.
"People that had to go to work, health services, this and that, they were allowed to get out. We worked with the Oshkosh Police Department and Fire Department to make sure people could get to their jobs."
Holland also tells me that the cleanup couldn't have gone better and that the road is back open for commuters.
