Police: Motorist alerts gas truck driver to sparks before explosion

FERRISBURGH, Vt. (AP) — A motorist alerted the driver of a truck hauling natural gas about sparks beneath the trailer, enabling the driver to escape without injury before his vehicle caught fire and exploded, Vermont State Police said.

The truck was headed south on U.S. Route 7 in the town of Ferrisburgh at about 11 p.m. Thursday when the motorist spotted the sparks and then got in front of the truck, stopping it and alerting the driver to the fire, police said. The truck driver was then able to get away from the vehicle before the explosion.

“It was like daylight all of a sudden,” local resident Steven True told WCAX-TV. “Flames 70 foot (21.34 meter) to 80 foot (24.38 meter) in the air. Certainly, something I’d never seen before and hope to never see again, because even from 100 foot (30.48 meters) away I could feel the heat.”

Ferrisburgh Fire Chief Bill Wager said the truck was a total loss and the fire damaged the asphalt.

The roadway was closed for several hours. There is no immediate word on what caused the fire.