There was an oil spill this morning in the heart of Orange Walk Town. At 6:00 am, an oil tanker was punctured on Liberty Street, causing possibly hundreds of gallons of oil to drain unto the street and surrounding areas. Our affiliates in Orange Walk at Northern Cable Network were on the scene; here's what happened.

This was the scene on Liberty Avenue in Orange Walk at 8:00 this morning as the crew from Midway Trucking were trying to scoop up bucketfuls of crude oil that were pouring unto the street. The truck was punctured two hours earlier at 6:00 am as it turned unto Liberty Avenue.

An extra high pedestrian crosswalk snagged one of the pedestals for the tanker. That was forced upwards and punctured the tank right here - this is the hole with a rag stuffed inside to slow the flow. Eventually Midway Trucking dispatched another truck to take up the excess.

As it trickled unto two adjoining properties, Mayor Ravel Gonzalez consulted with residents. Meanwhile local NEMO Coordinator Netty Johnson questioned the driver 22 year old Orlando Wolfe. Wolfe says the irregular pedestrian crosswalk caused it.

Northern Cable Network,
"Have you been here on this street before?

Orlando Wolfe, Driver
"No."

Northern Cable Network,
"You mentioned that the bump was a little too high. Is that true?"

Orlando Wolfe,
"Definitely."

Northern Cable Network,
"Is there something in place that could be done to help these situations?"

Orlando Wolfe,
"Oh yeah, remove this ridiculous bumps here."

Northern Cable Network,
"So these bumps are not good for the kind of business that you guys are doing."

Orlando Wolfe,
"Not really."

Ravel Gonzalez is the Mayor, he agrees with Wolfe.

Ravel Gonzalez, Orange Walk Mayor
"Our primary concern as the Orange Walk Town Council is the safety of the neighborhood and the safety of the children going to Louisiana, especially around midday when they go home for lunch. And nevertheless the cause of it was these high bumps that were constructed in the summer of 2003. From what I understand it was constructed by students in a summer program. It has been a concern for this neighborhood ever since. It is a pity that something like this has to happen to realize the extent of damage that these bumps can cause. We as the Orange Walk Council will put immediate priority and attention to it to make sure that we destroy it and we build something that is appropriate and meets the regulations."

And while fixing the bumps are the long term solution, as the morning progressed, the area became increasingly saturated. Enter BNE's spill unit which deployed a specially equipped crew to mop up the oil with these sponge pads that only pick up the oil and are then wrung out into barrels. The representative from the Department of the Environment was in charge of the cleanup.

Jevon Hulse, Department of Environment
"BNE is out here assisting us right now as they are one of the sources for the spill response equipment."

Northern Cable Network,
"So who is responsible for all of this?"

Jevon Hulse,
"The company is Midway. They were in the process of transporting oil to Blue Creek, if I am not mistaken, and they have the incident here."

Northern Cable Network,
"So who will be responsible for all the cleanup and the compensation to the families?

Jevon Hulse,
"Associated costs incurred will be borne by Midway."

Both the Department of the Environment and Belize Natural Energy have sent out releases stressing that the fault for the spill rests with the tanker owner, not with BNE. Though the oil came from Spanish Lookout, it was not part of BNE's fleet. There are no official figures for how much oil drained out, all we do know is that the compartment which was punctured carries 1,900 gallons of oil.