Tour bus dumps fuel near Union Square

Hazardous materials crews mopped up fuel spilled from a tour bus in San Francisco’s Union Square Saturday afternoon, fire officials said.

The fuel spill was reported at about 1:45 p.m. near the intersection of Geary and Stockton streets, just outside upscale retail stores such as Louis Vuitton and Dior, a fire dispatcher said.

The San Francisco Fire Department’s hazardous materials crews are working to put absorbent materials down on the road to mop up fuel spilled from the bus’s 55-gallon tank.

While the bus’s tank can hold up to 55 gallons, fire officials have not determined how much fuel was in the tank at the time, nor how much has leaked onto the streets at Union Square.

The cause of the fuel spill remains under investigation. The fire dispatcher said the intersection is blocked and the surrounding streets are likely to experience significant gridlock while crews remove the fuel. Motorists and pedestrians are advised to avoid the area.