Emergency Crews Tackle Wildwood Wawa 80- Gallon Fuel Spill

A gas spill at the Wawa on Rio Grande Avenue in Wildwood on Sunday afternoon dumped 800 gallons of gasoline in the parking lot.

Gas Spill at Wildwood Wawa

The spill, which occurred at about 4:30 pm on Sunday, prompted police, fire crews, and hazmat teams to respond to the Wawa at 418 West Rio Grande Avenue.

The store remained closed much of the day, and traffic was snarled on busy Rio Grande Avenue.

My friend, Ray, who lives on Taylor Avenue, the next block over from the spill, said the smell of gas fumes was strong in his home even with the windows closed and air conditioning on.

Complicating matters, shortly after the spill, Wildwood was hit with a flash rainstorm that came down hard for a time before much of the gas could be cleaned up.

The cleanup process was still underway early Monday, but the store reopened a little before midnight, and the gas pumps reopened early Monday morning.

No one was injured in the spill, according to Wildwood Police.

Traffic Problems in the Area

Rio Grande Avenue is the major entrance and exit road for Wildwood, so Sunday's spill was a major inconvenience. Police asked motorists to avoid driving in the area.

West Rio Grande Avenue was closed from Susquehanna Avenue to Park Boulevard.

Drivers were being told to enter and exit the island through North Wildwood to minimize traffic delays.

On Sunday evening, there was only one eastbound lane of traffic open in the 400 West block of Rio Grande Avenue.

Traffic returned to normal late Sunday night on Rio Grande Avenue.