Cooking oil intentionally dumped in West Bloomfield, officials say
WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. (FOX 2) - Police believe oil coating several West Bloomfield roads was intentionally dumped.
Officials from EGLE and West Bloomfield say it appears to be cooking oil.
West Bloomfield Police Deputy Chief Dale Young said a call came at around 10:45 p.m. Monday from a witness who saw a box truck that seemed to be leaking oil onto the road near Square Lake and Middlebelt. As of Tuesday morning, that oil had coated the road between St. Joseph Street and Pine Ridge Road, and it had made its way into the neighborhood.
"Our preliminary investigation is showing that yes, it likely is intentional," Young said. "I've been doing this about 20 years, and I've certainly never dealt with anything like this."
Though the oily substance is not petroleum based or harmful, according to officials, police closed Square Lake early Tuesday due to the road being too slippery to drive on.
Cleanup efforts included crews covering the spill with sand, and putting pool noodles in drains to soak up the oil.
The rainy weather in the area will also help clear the roads.
Nevertheless, residents are concerned.
"There's a lot of oil," said Tracey Fulton, who lives nearby. "We want to know what the substance is and the impact to the environment."
According to police, they have leads on who may have spilled the oil. No other details regarding the suspect were released on Tuesday.