State Police investigated a tractor-trailer tanker fire that occurred on Alternate Route 7 in the Town of Colonie and shut down traffic in both directions for a period of time on Monday, Nov. 14.
According to police reports, an investigation revealed that the tractor trailer was traveling westbound on Alternate Route 7 and as the driver neared the Miller Road overpass, he heard a popping noise coming from the engine area and lost power, pulling to the side of the road and immediately noticing fire coming from beneath the truck.
The driver called 911 and used his fire extinguisher, which was unable to completely put out the fire, said police. Volunteers from the Latham and Maplewood Fire Departments responded quickly to the scene, and using fire suppressing foam, extinguished the fire in the fully involved tractor before flames reached the trailer, which contained 13,198 gallons of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (Propane) that was being transported from Selkirk to Glens Falls, according to police reports.
According to police reports, no propane was vented or leaked during the incident and the trailer was not breached or damaged, though the tractor was completely destroyed.
Troopers closed down Alternate Route 7 in both directions because propane is a highly flammable hazardous material and traffic was diverted to other roadways during the morning commute, reopening around 7:55 a.m. according to police reports. An evacuation of nearby homes was condiered but deemed not necessary due to the quick actions of fire personnel, said police.
The tractor trailer was owned by LP Transportation Inc., of Chester, according to police reports.
Investigation into the cause of the fire will continue, no tickets were issued and no one was injured, said police.
Questions concerning this matter may be directed to Sgt. James Allendorph, NYSP Troop G Commercial Vehicle Unit 783-3262, or Troop G Public Information officer Trooper Maureen Tuffey at 783-3284.
