Both lanes of Hwy. 8 are back open this morning after being reduced to one lane much of the night following a gas leak at the convenience store in Derma. Calhoun County Emergency Management Director Randy Skinner said crews worked through the night stopping the leak of gas and diesel fuel from the underground tanks at the store.
"We are currently still in a recovery phase of operations trying to gather all the fuel still on top of the soil," Skinner said. "We have opened the highway back up due to air monitoring saying it was no longer a threat to motorists passing. Operations will continue throughout the day to clean up the site."
The leak of several hundred gallons of gasoline was discovered Tuesday evening when it "bubbled up" to the surface. A tanker truck was called in to drain the 8,000 gallon underground tank.
MDEQ officials were on scene along with firemen from several local fire departments for much of the night assisting in the effort to contain the leak and direct traffic so officials could get access.
