Cleanup of Leesburg fuel spill from overfilled hospital generator could take days

Fire crews contained a fuel spill that polluted a stream and a creek in Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday morning, but the cleanup could take several days to complete.

The fuel leaked from an overfilled backup generator at Inova Loudoun Hospital’s Cornwall campus through storm drains.



According to Loudoun County fire officials, the fuel “traveled downstream from King Street to Plaza Street and was found in both the Town Branch and the Tuscarora Creek waterways.”

Crews used containment booms to keep the fuel from spreading. (WTOP/Neal Augenstein)

Loudoun County fire officials said the hospital is working with an environmental cleaning contractor, the Department of Environmental Quality, the Town of Leesburg and the Fire Marshal’s Office to mitigate any damage.

People living near the area may notice an odor and see a sheen on the waterways.

Tadiwos Abedje

Tadi Abedje is a freelance digital writer/editor for WTOP. He was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Northern Virginia. Journalism has been his No. 1 passion since he was a kid and he is blessed to be around people, telling their stories and sharing them with the world.

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