I-25 Reopens After Fuel Leaks From Overturned Semi

DENVER (CBS4) - A fuel spill following a crash during the morning rush hour in Denver led to an extraordinarily long closure of northbound Interstate 25 on Thursday.

The crash happened at approximately 7 a.m. at Park Avenue West. It involved a tanker truck carrying diesel that overturned and several other vehicles.

The northbound lanes weren't fully reopened until 2:30 p.m. The on ramp to Interstate 70 from I-25 was also closed.

The resulting traffic backup was painfully long, and drivers were urged to use other routes.

Four people were hurt in the crash. They were all taken to the hospital with what were described as minor injuries.

Police said a vehicle cut off the truck and the driver overcorrected and rolled over. Hundreds of gallons of gas spilled out onto the road.

Denver fire officials said a "foam blanket" was applied at the crash scene to control fuel vapors and a hazmat team responded to help with the cleanup.

"To have an overturned tanker truck that spills their load? That's not quite common, no, but we train for these types of events because we know there is potential," said Denver Fire Captain Greg Pixley. "We're always looking at the possibility of this happening, training on it, making sure that we have adequate resources to be able to address these types of emergencies."

Police told CBS4 they will be working to try to locate the driver who is apparently responsible for the crash.