Just this afternoon on March 4, a gas tanker truck caught fire following a fiery crash in Frederick, Maryland.
Three homes in the nearby vicinity of the accident became engulfed in flames after the truck exploded around 12:40 p.m. ET on U.S. Route 15.
The driver of the tanker truck was killed in the explosion.
Emergency responders quickly arrived to the scene of the disaster and closed off both sides of the highway.
According to Frederick County Fire Chief Tom Coe the truck was carrying “a flammable liquid” before it was engulfed in the flames.
Coe stated that one of the three homes hit by the massive fire “received extensive damage”, displacing a family that will be moved into temporary housing in the meantime.
Coe continued:
“The two adjoining properties received what I would call superficial damage from the heat. Things like melted siding and the such.”
Thankfully, no residents or firefighters were injured as a result of the fire, although the explosion did cause a large brush fire along U.S. Route 15.
It has been confirmed by Maryland officials that the hazardous materials being carried by the truck were contained before they reached nearby tributary Carroll Creek.
Department of the Environment and the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescues Hazardous Materials Team are a few of the agencies involved in the cleanup.
Coe told news outlets that the cleanup will “take some time,” adding, “Now it’s a process of cleaning [the flammable liquids] up, removing earth and the such that’s contaminated.”
An investigation into what material was being held by the tanker truck is now being carried out by authorities. At this time, no criminal activity is suspected.