Overturned tanker sends 2,400 gallons of gas into Florida Bay

A gasoline truck overturned Monday morning in the Keys and sent 2,400 gallons of fuel into Florida Bay and mangroves near mile marker 70, officials say.

Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Kathleen McKinney said Yasmany Sanchez, 33, of Hialeah was driving south on U.S. 1 around 6:05 a.m. when he lost control of the tanker and went off the road into mangroves. One of its containers ruptured, resulting in the spill, according to Monroe County spokeswoman Cammy Clark.

Sanchez was taken to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier with minor injuries, Clark said.

Fuel was removed from the truck through the morning, McKinney said.

Foam was applied to the gas to prevent a potential fire, while a spill boom, a temporary barrier, was put in the mangroves to reduce runoff, Clark said.

Monroe County Fire Rescue units from Conch Key and Layton responded.

The FHP is investigating. The state Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and U.S. Coast Guard responded to the fuel spill, according to Clark.

This article originally appeared on flkeysnews.com.

This story was originally published July 17, 2017 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Overturned tanker sends 2,400 gallons of gas into Florida Bay."