A tanker truck that had just taken on a full load of gasoline caught fire on Interstate 787 this morning.
What could have been a major catastrophe was averted in downtown Albany. Flames broke out in the engine compartment of a tanker truck hauling gasoline as it travelled northbound on 787, near Exit 5.
"We received a call approximately 10:31 this morning for a car or truck fire on 787 Northbound. We dispatched Engine 5 and Ladder One and the batallion chief. Things happened pretty quick right away. They were getting a lot of calls for a gasoline tank truck. We increased the response to a full box alarm. So we had two more engines, another ladder truck, the rescue squad and some chief officers."
Chief Warren Abriel of the Albany Fire Department says the truck apparently had engine problems as evidenced by a streak of oil it left on the highway leading up to where it stopped.
"We had received several years ago a foam trailer from Global in the port, to be used in the port or anywhere, and this was a good case where we could use it on the highway, in a gasoline tank truck. We did see a large column of black smoke. Companies arrived, found the tractor portion of the tractor-trailer fully involved in fire impinging on the rear trailer portion. The driver was out, alongside the road, and said he had just filled it with 12,300 gallons of gasoline."
The driver escaped without injuries, and the fire was contained to the cab.
"He had pulled past probably a couple thousand yards past the underpass. Pulled off to the side of the road and the phone calls started coming form there. We arrived in about 7 minutes. We had things under control very quickly."
For a time, State Police closed 787 in both directions. The major commuter route runs alongside downtown Albany between the city and the Hudson.
"If we had a burning tank car, we didn't want anybody traveling southbound. You would have felt the heat!"
Abriel adds the transport company, GRGH Incorporated, dispatched another tanktruck and the gas transfer was completed around 1 p.m.
Abriel says it may be days before officials determine what caused the fire. The rig was removed from I-787 around 2 p.m. and both northbound and southbound lanes were declared clear.
However, Bryan Viggiani with New York State Department of Transportation advised motorists to expect delays from about 4:30 on along 787 north of downtown.
"We're closing the right lane for northbound between exits 5 and 6. Exit 5 is the exit for I-90 and Exit 6 is the exit for Broadway and Route 32 in Menands. There's some further clean-up that needs ot be done there. We'll be putting down an absorbent on what appears to be some type of oil and sweeping it up and disposing of it properly working with the Department of Environmental Conservation."
The work was expected to be complete by later in the evening.
