Crews burn off propane after tanker crash

Roads were closed and crews were burning off propane early Monday evening after a tanker truck slid off a road in Spanish Fork.

Authorities said the truck slid off the road sometime around 2:30 p.m. The accident occurred on 900 South, several hundred yards beyond the 1700 West intersection. Battalion Chief Roger Gourley of the Provo Fire Department said that because the truck landed on its side, crews couldn't access its valves. As a result, they decided to burn off the propane the truck had been carrying.

"When you look at these things you don't know how stable that tank is," Gourley said.

Crews from Provo, Spanish Fork and Orem responded to the accident.

Gourley said that when authorities arrived on the scene, the driver of the truck was pinned by his leg between the truck's seat and door. He was transferred in an ambulance to a hospital, but was released by Monday evening. No other injuries were reported.

According to Gourley, the truck had the capacity to hold about 3,000 gallons of propane, but was only carrying about 1,800 gallons at the time of the accident. He expected it to take up to five hours to burn off all the propane, and said that the truck would likely be moved Tuesday morning. He added that no propane leaked out of the truck before authorities began the burn.