A FLT DELAY IS INCURRED AFTER THE FUELERS ON AN MD80 OVERFILLED THE L AND R TANKS; CREATING A FUEL SPILL ON THE RAMP. ACFT EVACED DUE TO FUMES BEING INJECTED INTO ACFT BY PORTABLE AIR CART PARKED BY ACFT AT PHL; PA.

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UPON ARR AT ACFT WHICH WAS 20 MINS LATE INBOUND; I WAS ASKED BY A MAN LATER IDENTED AS THE FUELER TO CHK THE R WING. AFTER SORTING OUT HIS QUESTION; I NOTED FUEL OF 9550 LBS IN THE R GAUGE AND ABOUT THE SAME IN THE L. I SMELLED FUEL FUMES FROM THE COCKPIT EYEBALL VENT AND WENT TO CHK THE CABIN. FLT ATTENDANTS ALREADY WERE CLOSING THE EYEBALL VENTS. A PCA CART WAS SUPPLYING COOL AIR WITH THE APU SHUT DOWN. I NOTED OUTSIDE THAT THE CART WAS IN A POOL OF FLUID 15 YARDS IN DIAMETER. SUSPECTING A FUEL SPILL; I CAPTURED A MAINT MAN AND A CREW CHIEF WHO BOTH HAD RADIOS AND REQUESTED THEY CALL FOR THE FIRE DEPT AND TO SHUT DOWN THE PCA CART AND REMOVE INPUT HOSE FROM ACFT. I ORDERED AGENT NOT TO BOARD THE PAX UNTIL I COULD DISCERN THAT THE PROB WAS CAUSED BY THE FUELER OR THE ACFT. SINCE AN ADDITIONAL 6000 LBS WAS TO BE LOADED; I HALTED THE FUELING UNTIL MAIN TANKS WERE AT THE PROPER 9250 LB LEVEL WHICH REQUIRED XFER. THE PHL ARPT OPS MGR WAS ON SCENE AS WAS HEAD FUEL SUPER WHO TOOK OVER THE FUEL XFER OP. RAMPERS WERE BUSY TOWELING UP THE 300 LB SPILL AND FIRE PERSONNEL WERE ON SCENE. OPENING THE GALLEY AND AFT STAIR DOORS AND STARTING THE APU TO FLUSH FUMES FROM THE PLANE WAS SUCCESSFUL AND EYEBALL VENTS WERE OPENED. THIS EVENT COULD HAVE HAD A MORE DRASTIC OUTCOME; BUT RESPONSIVE AIRLINE AND FIRE PERSONNEL AVERTED TRAGIC CONSEQUENCE. ABSENT WAS ANY AIRLINE STATION MGR. FO WAS IN THE COCKPIT AT THE TIME I WAS NOT ALERTED TO ANY PROB UNTIL I NOTED PROB. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 553018: TOLD THE GND CREW TO DISCONTINUE EXTERNAL GND AIR. TURNS OUT THE FUELER OVER FILLED THE L TANK AND IT VENTED ALL OVER THE RAMP. IT TOOK ABOUT 10 MINS TO CLR THE FUMES.