Oil Spill Closes Road Near Los Alamos

An early morning oil spill that happened just before 5 a.m. closed Palmer Road near Orcutt Monday.

Officials tell KCOY/KEYT/KKFX that close to 30 barrels of oil and water soaked the street.

Crews from Greka Oil and Gas used vacuums and other cleaning supplies to reopen the roads.

Frank Iarossi was riding his bike nearby. He said he wasn’t too too concerned or inconvenienced by the spill because “the industry works very hard, they have proven methods, but there is always human error.”

Human error, however, does concern Roben Rios. She says “this isn’t the first time” and adds that the release of natural gas from Greka Oil and Gas has also been making people in the neighborhood sick.

“It’s not like no one lives out here, we have a school, we have a fire department, and it’s not right to put anybody’s health at risk.” said Rios.

California Highway Patrol closed the road until 11 a.m. for cleanup crews.

The cause of the spill is under investigation.