Pillager fuel oil spill into river being contained

PILLAGER -- A fuel oil spill into the Crow Wing River in Pillager on Wednesday is being contained, a spokesman for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency reported.

Doug Bellefeuille, an MPCA representative from Detroit Lakes, said Pillager emergency service crews and his office were called after neighbors began complaining about a bad smell coming from the river.

The spill, Bellefeuille said, is believed to have come from a fuel oil tank that was removed Tuesday, though he wasn't certain.

"Right now we're working on the clean-up," said Bellefeuille. "We'll figure out a source later."

Assisting the Pillager Fire Department, the Brainerd Fire Department used its environmental containment trailer to hold the spill in place. The fuel oil is being held in a backwater area, Bellefeuille said, and a soap solution will probably be used to disperse the fuel oil in the river.

"The amount of spill appears to be minimal," said Bellefeuille. "The major problem is the nuisance -- the odor and the appearance."