As much as 9,000 gallons of jet fuel spilled at Reagan National Airport, and some of that fuel has apparently been spilled into a tributary the Potomac River, emergency officials said.
One emergency official told News4 that about 2,000 gallons of the fuel has spilled into the water, emergency officials said. That fuel has been contained close to shore, the official said.
Officials said they don't believe the spilled fuel reached the Potomac River. The source of the spill -- in the airport's fuel farm -- was secured, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.
Airport operations aren't affected, and officials said they believe the environmental impact will be limited.
A Coast Guard helicopter spotted the spill around Four Mile Run, but not in the main channel of the river, according to the airports authority.
Still, the Coast Guard has established a safety zone on the river as a precaution.
The airport's fuel contractor has hired an environmental cleanup team, Miller Environmental, to undertake the cleanup. The cleanup is expected to be complete on Saturday.
