A Long Island family wants to know who created an oil spill inside their North Babylon home Saturday.
Patty and Robert Festa discovered 15 to 20 gallons of home heating oil in their basement after returning from a Caribbean cruise. The Festa family hasn't used oil to heat their home in 20 years.
"My son says he smells oil in the basement. And I said, 'We don’t have oil. It can’t be,'" said Robert Festa.
The family believes the oil was pumped into the home by mistake. So far, no company has come forward to take responsibility for that mistake.
"I cried," Patty Festa said. "The stench is horrific. How stupid is this company that doesn't know where to go?"
The outdoor pipe used to deliver the oil was once connected to an oil tank in the Festa's basement, but that tank was removed when the family converted to gas heat.
"They realized what they did because they stopped after 15, 20 gallons, and they never took responsibility, said anything," Robert Festa said.
Local
So far, the clean up has cost $5,000. The family's homeowners insurance doesn't cover any of the costs.
The Festa family has filed a police report and even searched for surveillance video from neighbors in an effort to identify the oil company. A young neighbor reported seeing an oil truck in the family's driveway the day of the spill; but, the Festas say that company has denied responsibility.
"'Fess up. Give us a break," Robert Festa said.
"Step up and pay the damages," pleaded his wife, who plans to move out temporarily until the cleanup is completed
