Sooke firefighters dealt with two oil spills over the holiday season, with the most recent cleanup occurring on Jan. 1 on Church and Throupe Road.
According to Fire Chief Steve Sorensen, 500 litres of oil was delivered to a mobile home located in a park on Church Road.
A leak in the line leading to the furnace tank, however, caused all 500 litres of oil to be lost. The oil leeched into the ground and into the drainage ditch on Church Road.
Firefighters responded around 2 p.m. after pedestrians along Church Road reported smelling furnace oil in the area.
“Fire department crews put in some booms and a small containment dam to capture the oil,” Sorensen said via email.
“As the spill is on private property, the home and/or property owner is responsible for the clean up.”
He added that Wittich Environmental has been commissioned to deal with the leak.
On Dec. 29, firefighters responded to a fuel spill after motorists reported slippery conditions on West Coast Road.
Sorensen said the spilled fuel almost formed a complete loop, with the worst of the spill located at Otter Point and West Coast Road, Brooks Road and West Coast Road, up Kemp Lake Road and then back along Otter Point.
Firefighters began cleanup up at 2 p.m., which was completed in about an hour. The crews laid down absorbent pads to remove the fuel.
“Then Mainroad came with a sand truck and put some sand on the slippery spots,” Sorensen added.
Although undetermined, Sorensen said the cause was most likely a vehicle leaking fuel.
“But trying to track down something like that is, unless you happen to come across it, pretty remote. Because by the time we find it, the vehicle has probably stopped leaking,” he explained.
