THEBACHA/FORT SMITH - Wood Buffalo National Park is looking for the public's help to determine who caused a fuel spill along Highway 5.

A piece of heavy equipment removes contaminated soil from a fuel spill at a highway pull-off in Wood Buffalo National Park. - photo courtesy of Parks Canada

The spill of diesel was discovered on Sept. 17 at the wetlands pull-off - where there are informational signs about whooping cranes - about 70 km west of Fort Smith.

"We investigated immediately and found that about a hundred-square-metre area on the ground was covered with fuel," said Tim Gauthier, a communications officer with the park.

Gauthier said the park doesn't know if the spill was intentional or accidental.

"We can't impugn any motives to this event," he said. "It could have been an accident. All we know is, at this stage in our investigation, we're seeking assistance from the public."

The park is requesting information about any vehicles that may have been seen in the wetlands pull-off area on the morning or afternoon of Sept. 17.

"It had to have been a vehicle of some sort," Gauthier said about the source of the spill. "And just given the size of the spill, it leads us to believe it was a larger vehicle."

The park's law enforcement officials have been in touch with a number of trucking companies who use Highway 5, but no information has been obtained about the spill.

There is no estimate of how much diesel may have spilled, but Gauthier said it went about 10 inches into the ground and surface vegetation on the side of the pull-off was covered by the fuel.

The park spokesperson said any charges as a result of the spill would depend on the outcome of the investigation.

"There could be charges laid, but, if it was accidental, we'd certainly like the people to come forward and report how the spill happened to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen again," he said.

The spill has been cleaned up.

"We took heavy equipment out and we've removed the contaminated soil from the site," Gauthier said.

The spilled fuel did not enter any rivers or other bodies of water.

The wetlands are a sensitive area. Although the whooping crane habitat is largely to the north, the endangered birds could potentially use the wetlands as a feeding area, he said.

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