1,000 gallons of fuel spilled on Miami Beach streets

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- Hazmat crews are cleaning up after a gasoline leak at a South Florida gas station.

Miami Beach Police and fire rescue responded to the Chevron Gas Station at 1880 Alton Road, just before 5 a.m. Thursday. Crews capped the leak within 10 to 15 minutes.

A station attendant said there could have been too much pressure of the pipes, which caused the spell. However, gallons of gasoline had already spilled into the streets and spread 200 feet from the station, forcing authorities to shutdown Alton Road and West Avenue from Dade Boulevard to 20th Street. By noon, the intersection of 18th Street and West Avenue was blocked off

"It could've been pretty catastrophic. Gasoline will ignite very easily, it travels very easily and evaporates and can go into buildings," Miami Beach Fire Rescue Chief Javier Ortero said. "Certainly, it could've been pretty bad."

Crews placed foam and kitty litter on the gasoline to absorb the fuel on the street and keep it from spreading.

An employee who works at South Beach Finest car wash behind the gas station said he could not come in to work. "It is directly behind the Chevron, so my work's closed today," said Michael Barone. "At least it's definitely delayed, which is really unfortunate because it's costing a lot of money."

The U.S. Coast Guard checked to see if any spilled into the water and Miami Beach Public Works is checking to see if any spilled into the sewage system. But, officials reported, none of it made it into any waterways whatsoever.

Residents should not be concerned about their drinking water because it did not get into the water system, city officials said.

Chevron officials continue to investigate what went wrong to cause this spill.

(Copyright 2012 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)