Homes evacuated after propane truck overturns
By BILL ACKERBAUER/The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
CAROGA - Homes were evacuated and emergency responders worked for hours Friday at the scene of an accident on Green Lake Road, where a propane truck flipped onto its side and began to leak its flammable cargo.
The driver, whom troopers identified as Eric E. Beauregard of Fort Plain, said he was turning into a driveway to make a delivery just after 11 a.m. when the truck slipped on ice and packed snow.
Beauregard said he was not hurt when the tanker overturned.
"Except for my pride," he said.
The smell of gas was strong in the area around the truck, and authorities ordered residents to evacuate the handful of nearby homes that were occupied Friday. Most of the houses on the dead-end road are summer homes and vacant this time of year.
The driver wasn't ticketed because icy conditions were clearly the cause of the accident, Trooper Patrick Darling of the state police at Mayfield said Friday.
Caroga Volunteer Fire Department Chief Barb DeLuca, firefighter Ralph Palcovic and Darling were among the first on the scene Friday morning. Later, more than a dozen additional firefighters and officials from the state Department of Environmental Conservation and the Caroga Highway Department got involved in the effort to stabilize the truck and turn it upright.
Snyder Propane of Fort Plain, the owner of the truck, sent at least two more tankers to offload the propane from the leaking vehicle. Two large tow trucks and a firetruck were at the scene by 1 p.m.
The slick condition of the narrow, curvy dirt road made it difficult for drivers to maneuver the large vehicles in and out of the area. The truck was partially turned upright by early afternoon, but officials said they had difficulty offloading the remaining propane and removing the truck from the edge of the driveway.
Firefighters worked with power tools to cut away a tree stump on which the truck's underside had snagged.
About eight hours after the truck overturned, emergency responders were still at the scene and residents were still displaced.
"It's still in progress and the road is still shut down," Darling said around 7 p.m. "We don't expect it will be too much longer."
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Hunidu
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11-29-08 6:58 PM
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OxyMoron --- This is called TEAM WORK and there should be more of it in this country being the shape it is in. Just a thought,thanx 4 your time
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OxyMoron
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11-29-08 3:07 AM
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And thank you too to all of the fire comapanies that stood by at their fire stations for back-up. Standing by for 7 hrs, you guys are awesome.
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