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Hazmat crews clean up large fuel spill at University Hospital

Hospital operations not affected and no evacuations necessary
University of Utah Hazmat
Posted at 10:56 AM, Feb 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-24 13:06:08-05

SALT LAKE CITY — A hazardous materials crew and Salt Lake City firefighters quickly contained a 400-gallon fuel spill at University Hospital in Salt Lake City Wednesday morning.

University Hospital spokeswoman Suzanne Winchester told FOX 13 the spill originated in a central plant on the hospital's east side, close to the emergency department, around 6:30 a.m.

Workers contained the spill in about 90 minutes.

"Something like this could be problematic, particularly when it’s over close to the emergency department but, like I said, our emergency management teams have so many protocols in place and are so well prepared for these type of situations that everything went really smoothly and we were really fortunate that this turned out well. But this is something that they practice for and plan for all the time," Winchester said.

The fuel spill was the result of a faulty valve. Winchester said hospital operations were not interrupted and no evacuations were necessary.

The hospital's central plant provides fuel for basic operations.