BP, Indiana officials hunt source of oil leak

HAMMOND, Ind. -- Firefighters opened hydrants to dilute sewers in a Hammond neighborhood Tuesday after authorities discovered a suspected oil leak.

City workers pulled off a manhole cover and found a black substance that looked like oil and smelled like gasoline, police Chief Brian Miller said. A 6-inch sink hole in a street intersection might signal the site of the leak, he said.

Oil company BP issued a statement saying it had taken a sample of the substance for testing. BP operates a large refinery in nearby Whiting. BP shut down an oil line in the area to test it, but found no loss of pressure.

BP spokesman Tom Keilman said the company hired an excavating company to dig into the street to locate the source of the problem. He said it was unclear where the substance was coming from.

Keilman said one household was evacuated for a few hours because of fumes, but those residents later returned home. Authorities advised residents of the neighborhood to fill household drains with water and cover them with wet towels to keep fumes out of their homes.

Keilman said some residents of the area began complaining of a gasoline-type smell over the weekend.