Delivery gone wrong at Hurricane Jiffy Lube sends oil down the drain

HURRICANE — A truck delivering oil to the Jiffy Lube in Hurricane Wednesday morning had an oil leak that dumped 180 gallons onto part of the parking lot and into a drain, officials said.

The Hurricane Valley Fire District worked for three hours to clean up the slick spill, first reported between 9 and 10 a.m., with an assist from the St. George Fire Department’s hazardous materials unit and Hurricane Police.

David Farrar, a manager at the Jiffy Lube, said it was a delivery that went wrong.

“It was just one of the guys that brings us our oil,” Farrar said. “One of the lines busted. It kind of exploded.”

The spill didn’t affect business at the Jiffy Lube, which remained busy, or the streets nearby. By 12:30 p.m., the only evidence there had been a spill were tires and vehicles blocking off the west side of the parking lot, which was covered by a cat litter-like retardant and rags around a drain.

As the rain fell, a slight sheen was visible near the retardant, but there were no signs of the black remnants of oil.

But Joe Decker, Hurricane’s acting fire chief, said much of the oil went into the drain. He said there isn’t a danger to the public but there is still a clean-up to come.

“The state Department of Environmental Quality is looking at the spill,” Decker said. “The delivery company has a clean-up crew heading to the scene.”

Photo Gallery

Cat litter-like retardant is used to cover an oil spill outside the Jiffy Lube in Hurricane, Utah, with rags around a drain where 180 gallons of oil spilled into the drainage system, Aug. 2, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Outside the Jiffy Lube in Hurricane, Utah, Aug. 2, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

The sheen of oil can be seen as retardant is used to cover an oil spill outside the Jiffy Lube in Hurricane, Utah, with rags around a drain where 180 gallons of oil spilled into the drainage system, Aug. 2, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Tires and vehicles block off an area of the parking lot after an oil spill at the Jiffy Lube in Hurricane, Utah, with rags around a drain where 180 gallons of oil spilled into the drainage system, Aug. 2, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

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HURRICANE — Photo Gallery