Oil spill leads to road closures in Elgin

The area near Route 20 and Shales Parkway in Elgin was closed Thursday after a semitrailer truck spilled cooking oil on the roadway.

Fire crews responded to the scene just before noon and found a large puddle of liquid in the left turn lanes of Route 20 and a trail on northbound Shales Parkway, according to a news release from the Elgin Fire Department.

Crews closed the left-turn lanes on Route 20 to determine what the substance was. Police followed a trail left by the truck to the business on Sheldon Drive and found the truck in the back parking lot. Authorities determined the liquid spilled was cooking oil, the release said.

The truck driver was able to identify the payload, the release said.

Officials said 50 to 100 gallons of oil were spilled. A professional cleanup company was called to the scene by the trucking company, the release said, and cleanup estimates are in excess of $10,000.

There were no injuries. Initial indications show the leak may have been caused by the payload's shifting inside the trailer.

Traffic was affected for several hours.