Joe Hornaday
No problem is too small for the Greensburg Fire Department.
Firefighters were called out to the Wal-Mart parking lot on Wednesday afternoon to investigate a fuel leak from a vehicle that apparently had filled up with too much gasoline. The firefighters prevented the fuel from leaking into the ground and are pictured keeping an eye on the leak until the towing service arrived to pick up the vehicle.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), topping off the gas tank can result in the motorist paying for gasoline that is fed back into the station’s tanks because the gas tank is full. The gas station pumps are equipped with vapor recovery systems that feed back gas vapors into their tanks to prevent vapors from escaping into the air and contributing to air pollution. In addition, vehicle gas tanks need extra room in them to allow the gas to expand. If the tank is topped off, the extra gas may evaporate into the vehicle’s vapor collection system. That system may become fouled and will not work properly causing the car to run poorly and have high gas emissions.
