The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Local News

February 4, 2009

Lester firefighters cope with gas tanker

By Jeff Stover

A stuck gasoline tanker tied up Lester firefighters for more than eight hours early Wednesday morning after treacherous road conditions caused the truck to lose traction going up a large hill and slide backward into an embankment, a fire official said.

Assistant chief Gary Taylor said the department was dispatched about midnight to check and evaluate the truck’s situation in the “S” curves on W.Va. 305 in Surveyor. Firefighters found the truck against an embankment and unable to move. He said although the tank was empty, the situation was still dangerous because of the highly flammable fumes coupled with the possibility of other drivers sliding into the tanker while trying to navigate around the stuck truck.

Firefighters had a wrecker dispatched to the scene, along with a Division of Highways snow plow, to assist with attempts to free the massive vehicle. The truck, from Eagle Transport, had just made a delivery to a gasoline station in Glen Daniel and was traveling toward the turnpike, Taylor said.

While waiting for the wrecker and snow plow to arrive, firefighters directed traffic around the truck in an effort to navigate other vehicles away from the tanker.

About 7:45 a.m., they learned the tow truck had been delayed. However, the DOH continued to scrape and treat the hill with abrasives and salt until enough of the ice and snow had melted for the tractor-trailer to regain traction and continue up the hill on its own. Firefighters followed the truck to make sure it had no further problems in its slow trek to enter the turnpike at MacArthur.

Firefighters were back in their station shortly after 8 a.m.

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