Tanker Rolls Into Salt Lake City Backyard, Spills Oil

It will take several days to clean up a big mess left behind by a runaway tanker that ended up in a resident’s backyard. But Salt Lake fire officials say they are very grateful no one was injured in the Wednesday morning incident.

About 3:20 a.m., the Salt Lake City Fire Department said “an asphalt oil tanker” that was not connected to a truck and was left in a parking lot overnight began rolling for an unknown reason.

The tanker rolled 700 to 800 yards across the empty lot, across North Campus Drive and into the backyard of a home at 66 N. Wolcott St. Neighbors who called 911 thought another earthquake had just happened, according to fire officials.

The tanker stopped just short of hitting the house. Salt Lake Fire Capt. Anthony Burton said it was “amazing” that no one was injured, and noted a “perfect storm” likely prevented injuries.

The parking lot was empty, there was no traffic on North Campus drive, and the residents who own the house were out of town, he said.