Oil tanker rolls over, fuel spills, in Harwich

(Vincent DeWitt for The Boston Globe)

The tanker truck rested on top of a pickup truck after the crash.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A 12,000-gallon oil tanker rolled over at the intersection of Great Western Road and Lothrop Avenue in Harwich this afternoon, releasing 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of fuel oil, authorities said.

Another vehicle was involved in the crash and one person was taken to the hospital, according to rescuers at the scene.

The oil spilled onto the road and into a nearby cranberry bog, said Ed Coletta, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Vacuum trucks have been dispatched to begin cleanup of the road and the bog.

The tanker is owned by Cape Cod Oil, based in Provincetown, Coletta said. A man answering the phone at the company's offices said the company would not comment until Thursday morning.

“The town DPW (Department of Public Works) did a good job of berming the area off with sand and it appears that they have caught about 1,000 gallons,” Coletta said.

A catch basin at the side of the road also collected some oil. The truck was still leaking as of mid-afternoon, he said.

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