State emergency service crews were called to a major truck roll over on Saturday 17 June along Hereford Road in Lilydale.
Lilydale CFA brigade responded to the tip truck carrying soil after it ran off the road and down an embankment, knocking over a high voltage power pole and several trees, resulting in power lines and trees being strewn all over the service road and people’s property.
The truck came to rest on its side in the front yard of a house, only meters away from a lady sleeping in her bedroom.
“Thankfully no one was injured, just a little shaken from the ordeal. The truck driver escaped through the roof of his truck uninjured,“ a Lilydale CFA spokesperson said.
Spilled diesel fuel from the truck seeped into the front garden. The leak was initially contained by firefighters but due to the extent of the leak and the fact that the soil was saturated in diesel, Captain Warren Davis immediately called for the EPA to attend for expert advice.
Urgent action was required to mitigate the diesel spill from seeping deep down into the soil as it could have travelled under the house.
“In these types of situations early intervention by the EPA is important as diesel is heavier and more thick [viscous] than petrol. Where petrol evaporates diesel doesn’t, so the residue will seep into the soil creating a major environmental hazard and possible property damage.“
The EPA organised to have the soil and the residue from the diesel removed, also conducting soil testing to check for fuel seepage around the house.
Before heavy haulage could remove the truck, the power company made the area safe, and local council contractors removed the damaged trees.
Contractors from the EPA removed the remaining soil from the overturned truck and heavy haulage went about righting and towing the truck away – a massive job in itself.
Captain Davis said there was great cooperation between all services in bringing the incident to a successful conclusion with thankfully no one injured.
There was a multi-agency response to this incident with the brigade being on-scene for some six hours.
The power company had a massive job to re-connect the many fallen power lines and they had to work well into the night to restore power.
Lilydale Fire Brigade would like to thank Mt Evelyn CFA, Montrose CFA, Police, Ambulance, SES, EPA, Power company, YV Council contractors, EPA contractors for their assistance.
