Chaotic Mother's Day in Eugene: One dead in house fire, two injured in crashes, hazmat on I-5

Haleigh Kochanski, Eugene Register-Guard
·2 min read
The Eugene Springfield Fire Department responds to a fuel spill at the Glenwood exit on Interstate 5 southbound around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.
The Eugene Springfield Fire Department responds to a fuel spill at the Glenwood exit on Interstate 5 southbound around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The Eugene-Springfield Fire Department had a busy weekend responding to emergency service calls, including a house fire that resulted in a death on Sunday and two people critically injured after a car crash Sunday night.

Fuel spill on I-5

At 9:30 a.m. Sunday, firefighters responded to a fuel spill at the Glenwood exit on Interstate 5 southbound after receiving calls of a semi-truck leaking fuel traveling down the freeway.

Fire crews discovered the semi at the Glenwood exit and noted there was a large hole in the fuel tank, which warranted a call to the regional hazardous materials team to help capture leaking fuel and use absorbent to contain what had already been spilled, according to a release from the Eugene Springfield Fire Department.

As of Monday, the fire department was working with the Oregon Department of Transportation and a private contractor on cleanup plans, according to the release.

House fire results in death

Fire crews were alerted to an apartment fire in the 1000 block of J Street in Springfield at 5:11 p.m. on Sunday. Crews arrived on scene at 5:15 p.m., according to the Eugene Springfield Fire Department.

Firefighters found smoke coming from a second-floor apartment and stretched a hose line for a fire attack and primary search of the apartment.

One person was found dead in the apartment and the fire was contained to the point of origin.

An investigation is ongoing, and the identity of the deceased individual has not been released.

Sunday night car crash results in two critical injuries

The Eugene Springfield Fire Department also responded to a vehicle crash on eastbound Beltline Highway between River Road and northwest Expressway at 11:24 p.m. after being alerted to reports of someone performing CPR on a crash victim.

When fire crews arrived, they found two vehicles had sustained heavy damage and one person needed extrication, according to a release from the department.

Two people were transported from the scene to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at Riverbend in critical condition.

Haleigh Kochanski is a breaking news and public safety reporter for The Register-Guard. You may reach her at HKochanski@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: One dead in house fire, two injured in crashes, hazmat on I-5