Explosion involving 18-wheeler sparks massive inferno with flames reaching up to 200 feet after upstate crash
Flames of up to 200 feet engulfed an upstate New York highway Thursday night after an 18-wheeler carrying some sort of compressed natural gas plowed into a railroad bridge while a train was passing by.
Incredible photos and videos posted online showed flames bursting from the tractor-trailer following the crash as the fire raged on the Maple Avenue bridge in Glenville — which has been the site of multiple collisions this year alone.
Truck driver Sylvester Basil Jr., from Clute, Texas, sustained third-degree burns to his hands and face and was airlifted to Westchester Medical Center in the aftermath, authorities said.
The blaze also temporarily left those in the surrounding areas without power, as nearby homes were evacuated.
“It’s a significant explosion,” Town Supervisor Chris Koetzle told WNYT. “It’s by far the worst bridge hit — by far.”
Police say Basil was traveling from Pennsylvania to make a delivery to an unknown location about an hour north of the Maple Avenue bridge when he struck it around 6:30 p.m.
He indicated to officers that he did not see multiple signs indicating that the bridge was at a low height.
Despite suffering severe burns, Basil was conscious and was able to walk himself to an ambulance on the scene as state and local emergency crews worked to contain the inferno, police said.
The video also showed that a train was passing the bridge at the time of the collision, but it miraculously did not sustain any known damage.
Police Chief Stephen Janik told the Daily Gazette that “with the amount of fire that was here,” he would have expected the train to have been “engulfed.”
As the fire spread, local residents flocked to the scene.
One man, Peter Sweet, a former nurse, said he was driving home at the time and saw the power flicker on and off and smoke drift into the sky.
He followed emergency responders to the scene, and decided to help treat the driver, he told the Daily Gazette.
“I just kept him calm, asking him where he was from and told him that I was going to take good care of him,” Sweet said.
“But his hands were pretty burnt.”
Police said Thursday night Maple Avenue would be closed for “an undetermined amount of time while the accident scene is made safe and the investigation can be conducted.”
There is not expected to be any environmental impact to the area, as the truck was not carrying liquid fuel, according to WNYT.
But the tractor-trailer still needed to be removed from the scene, and Koetzle said engineers could look at possible damage to the steel bridge as early as Friday.
The bridge has been the site of multiple collisions.
Over the past year, it was struck twice in September and once each in May, June and July, the Daily Gazette reports.
“We’ve got to get the state and county together, and we’ve got to address this issue,” Koetzle said following the most recent crash.
“This is a very dangerous area. Tonight, this just highlights that.”
