OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Police believe a large amount of cooking oil was intentionally spilled onto the streets of a West Bloomfield Township neighborhood.
“It is very odd that someone would be in the back of a box truck dumping it down the middle of the street,” neighborhood association president Tracey Fulton said.
Fulton woke up Tuesday (May 7) morning to find a thick layer of oil down the middle of his street.
It happened Monday night on Square Lake Road west of Middlebelt Road in Oakland County and surrounding residential streets.
The main roads and intersections affected were shut down to ensure the safety of drivers as the oil created a slick surface.
Craig Bryson with the Oakland County Road Commission said the roads were reopened after being cleaned and treated.
Bryson told a hazmat team tested the substance and believed it to be a type of cooking oil.
“That is obviously not a legal thing to do and created a big problem for the residents of that neighborhood.”
Police are investigating and have developed solid leads.
Bryson said the substance is harmless to the environment and people.
“This is not a hazardous material,” Bryson said. “It’ll break down in the grass and in the dirt. It won’t cause any health concerns.”
Still, neighbors said the environmental impact remains a concern.
“We’ve been in contact with the road commission, with EGLE, and it kind of got bumped down the list, we feel, because it’s not hazardous,” Fulton said. “They cleaned it up, and then they left. So, we’ll see if they come back tomorrow.”
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