Cleanup continues after fuel spill at Barrington-area house

A hazardous materials response company continued cleaning up Wednesday from a fuel spill inside a single-family house near Barrington.

Barrington Countryside Fire Protection District Chief James Kreher estimates "a few hundred" gallons of heating fuel seeped out of a basement tank late Tuesday afternoon at a residence on Cuba Road near Harbor Drive. Firefighting crews arrived on scene about 5:30 p.m. for the report of a fuel spill with an explosion, though Kreher on Wednesday said there was no explosion or flames.

The residents evacuated before firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

Kreher said the fuel spill appears to be connected to a failure of the tank, though the official cause remains under investigation.

A total of 20 area fire departments responded to the scene Tuesday, helping to secure the scene, shut off gas and electric, and contact the hazardous materials cleanup company, before turning the property over to the homeowner.