HOPKINTON, NH — Firefighters and a state hazmat team on Friday finished burning off propane from a 3,500-gallon tanker truck that flipped on Spring Street on Thursday afternoon, according to Fire Chief Steve Slaman.
On Friday afternoon, authorities had expected the lengthy process to last past midnight — but police around 7 p.m. Friday notified the media that the crash scene was cleared and roads reopened.
The entire tank needed to be emptied — or offloaded — before the truck could be lifted upright, Slaman said. Once the liquid in the tank becomes a gas it was burned off in a controlled flame, according to the chief.
By 5:30 p.m. the offloading process was complete and crews moved to conduct a safety assessment. "The road will remain closed until the vehicle is uprighted and removed, which may take an additional five hours," Slaman wrote in an update.
Police and fire crews responded to the truck crash near 176 Spring St. just after 4:30 p.m. Thursday and quickly put a stop to a propane leak. Some homes were evacuated as a precaution. Upton paramedics brought the driver to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Spring Street had been closed from Snowy Owl Road to Lyford Road, according to a press release. Pond Street had been blocked at Stewart Street.
Slaman is unsure how the truck rolled.
"You can tell that some of the tires went off the side of the road, but I don't know why," he said. "It looks like as it tried to get back on the road it lost control and flipped onto its side, hit a tree, and spun."
The offloading was a slow process because of damage to the truck's piping.
"We were able to pump some of the product up, but because it was on its side and some of the damage made it so the rest of the product we had to burn off with a flare," Slaman said.
There are no obvious environmental impacts because of the crash.
"There are no fluids coming from the truck and the actual liquid propane leak just vaporized," Slaman said.
Peter Iacobucci, general manager of Osterman Propane, said in a statement that offloading is a lengthy process.
"The cause of the accident is under investigation," he wrote. "The safety of local residents is our number one priority at this time. We are working closely with emergency responders to secure the scene and appreciate everything they've done to assist with the process."
The town kept residents informed on social media throughout the day.
Besides Hopkinton fire and police, Westborough fire, Upton fire, Ashland fire, state police and the hazmat team helped out.
"We have to make it safe before we upright it," Slaman said. "That's why it's taking so long."
Jonathan Phelps can be reached at 508-626-4338 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JPhelps_MW.
———
©2018 MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, Mass.
Visit MetroWest Daily News, Framingham, Mass. at www.metrowestdailynews.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
