DENTON COUNTY, Texas — At 9:16 a.m. Thursday, the 911 calls started to come in. About a half dozen accidents caused by “an oil spill” on FM 407, callers said.
"Vehicles off the roads, slipping and sliding," Ricky Vaughan, Denton County Emergency Services District 1 Fire Chief told WFAA.
But when first responders got on scene, they noticed it didn’t smell like fuel.
"It kind of smelled like a turkey," said Argyle Police Chief Emmitt Jackson.
"I thought we had a big fried chicken," Vaughan smiled.
First responders quickly tested a sample of the oil and determined it was cooking oil (a mix of cottonseed, soybean, olive and peanut).
"I’ve seen a lot of strange things, nothing like this," Jackson told WFAA.
A truck that picks up and disposes of the oils in restaurant grease vats leaked, he said. The spill shut down 407 all the way from 1830 to Interstate 35.
"I knew right away this was gonna be a long day," Vaughan added.
Argyle, Argyle ISD, Bartonville and Northlake police departments all responded. As did the Denton County Sheriff's Office, Denton County Emergency Services Department District 1, Flower Mound Fire, and Denton Fire Departments, according to county officials.
All American Towing and the Texas Department of Transportation led the hours' long cleanup efforts with hazmat teams, also according to officials. It was a tedious process that requires an absorbent and a solvent.
"The first hour they got about 300 yards, and we’re talking about six miles. It’s a long process," Vaughan said.
Argyle Police believe the driver may have known about the leak but kept driving and are actively working leads to identify the person and company responsible.
"We will definitely be contacting them, to let them know there’s a very large bill," Jackson said.
Parts of 407 were shut down for more than 12 hours, and police had to reroute Argyle ISD buses that took home kids after school. FM 407 was fully reopened by 10:30 p.m. Thursday night, officials told WFAA.