Driver cited for diesel fuel leak

The driver of tractor-trailer was cited after diesel fuel leaked from his rig while traveling between Bonners Ferry and Eastport on May 14, police said.

Fuel initially began leaking from the rig driven by Siegbert Jesky of British Columbia on Highway 95 near the Kootenai River Bridge in Bonners Ferry, said city police chief Dave Kramer.

Jesky, who was driving for Intrinsic Transport of Abbotsford, British Columbia, apparently continued driving north to Eastport, police said.

Once he arrived in Eastport, several gallons of fuel leaked out, said Brad Lowther, chief for Hall Mountain Volunteer Fire Department.

Firefighters stopped the flow of the fuel and soaked up fuel on the ground with absorbent materials.

How the leak occurred is “kind of a mystery,” Lowther said. “He punctured the passenger side of his fuel tank in Bonners somewhere. He doesn’t know how, when or what. For whatever reason, he tried to make it to the border. Idaho State Police stopped him at the border.”

A spokesman for Intrinsic Transport told The Herald Jesky punctured one of the rig’s fuel tanks after hitting debris on the road.

“He wasn’t actually aware of it at first,” the spokesman said. “Once he was made aware of it, there were no pullouts. The road is narrow and there’s nowhere to stop. He was looking for somewhere to pull over.”

It’s believed Jesky lost about 30 gallons of fuel, the spokesman said.

ISP Cpl. Kevin Bennett cited the driver, Lowther said. Bennett could not be reached for comment.