THOUSAND OAKS : Spill Closes Lanes on Ventura Freeway

A fuel spill closed the northbound lanes of the Ventura Freeway at California 23 for more than an hour Friday afternoon, snarling traffic as California Highway Patrol officers routed cars on freeway shoulders, police said.

An 18-wheel tractor-trailer hauling fuel lost its tank and spilled the contents onto the road at 3:45 p.m., forcing the closure for cleanup, a CHP dispatcher said.

All lanes were reopened by 5:10 p.m., said the dispatcher, who declined to give her name. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department in Thousand Oaks said the lane closures did not adversely affect side roads.

The spill was under investigation, but officers determined that it was not related to a traffic accident, the dispatcher said. No other cars were involved, she said.