JEDDAH: Traffic was diverted, shops and homes were emptied and a courthouse was evacuated yesterday after a gasoline truck overturned and spilled thousands of liters of gasoline onto Jeddah’s crowded Sitteen Street at the juncture with Baladiah.
“People in the surrounding shops, offices and the nearby Jeddah courthouse were ordered to evacuate to prevent any deaths should the gasoline catch fire,” Civil Defense spokesman Abdullah Al-Amri told Arab News.
Eyewitnesses said the driver was driving too fast while trying to make a turn at the juncture. Civil Defense received a call about the accident at around 11:30 a.m. Eight teams responded to the accident while the traffic police diverted vehicles away from the spilled petrol.
Civil Defense sprayed foam on the spill to reduce flammable fumes and the chances of combustion.
“Gasoline has a low flash point, which could have been ignited fast if mixed with the air,” Al-Amri said.
Traffic was snarled up on Sitteen Street all the way to the Bicycle Roundabout more than a kilometer away from the site of the accident. Some traffic was diverted to Madinah Road, causing jams and bottlenecks on the city's main artery.
People were kept out of their shops, homes and jobs at the courthouse for more than four hours. No death or injuries were reported. It is not known if the driver was cited for the accident.
